Will the things I have done be remembered?
by nefieslab
Summary: This is an edgy story that I had cooking in my mind since I re-watched the Gundam Wing series. This story has mature themes including implied sex and genocide. Very AU. FINAL CHAPTER UP!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Set the stage… for the blackness

Tom Grayson stood on the edge of the Z1's outstretched arm, the mechanical fingers acting as his ledge as he stood there, his magnetised shoes and space suit keeping him from floating off, staring into the infinite blackness that was space, his home. He turned his head slightly and caught sight of the Earth, a green and blue gem that stood out from the blackness and the darkness, seemingly sparkling with its own glow. He knew that the glow was the sun's rays bouncing off the Earth and being reflected towards him but it didn't stop the sight being any less magical or moving.

Tom slowly sank to his knees and knelt on the finger of the huge war machine. He sniffed once, a disgusted sound, as he realized that he'd broken down with emotion for that smallest of instances. He looked up in his helmet and saw the telltale slither of liquid floating around inside the compact space of the helmet. He blinked twice. He'd even cried. That settled it, he was getting too soft. He shook his head before getting to his feet again. He turned slowly on the balls of his feet and stared at the unstoppable behemoth that was the _Respite_.

His mobile suit was at least a Gundam's head above any other suit in terms of height, not including the silver spikes that were its sensors. The entire body of the _Respite_ was made of black metal that stayed black even when the phase shift armour was activated. A pair of silver wings came out from its back, thrusters on each of the four wings. It was a very basic looking machine, much like the Gundam 01 from the AC era but, of course, he knew nothing about the Gundam 01. But he did know about the AC era. Oh yes, he knew about that.

The AC era was the largest source of the Earth military. Before Blue Cosmos had taken over the governments of the galaxy's gem they had been witness to the appearance of a huge fleet of mobile suit carriers, coming out of some sort of special abnormality. The carriers had been full of huge, black, mobile suits. They were mobile dolls from the AC era it was discovered when scientists checked the ships. And from the ship's systems they learned. They learned how to operate the mobile dolls.

Tom shook his head at the memory of those first years as he began to walk back towards the Z1's cockpit. Not even co-ordinators were a match for mobile dolls. Hell these mobile suits even came with their own little floating laser shields, rendering blasters next to useless. Of course the colonies had fought back, never giving up. That was until the day that the Gundam Justice and its pilot, Athrun Zala, were defeated in battle. By Tom Grayson and the Z1 _Respite. _Athrun had fought well, never giving up even when it became apparent that Tom was a better pilot and that the Z1 outclassed even the Justice. Tom shook his head again as the memory of the brave soldier, the last hope for the colonies, wormed its way to centre view in his mind. The explosion had been huge, claiming more than an entire platoon of the mobile dolls with it. Before the explosion had even finished the Duel Gundam had attacked him. Unfortunately for the pilot of that suit, the Duel was pathetically easy. Tom had killed him without even using his blaster or beam sword, choosing instead to conserve energy and slash the suit apart with the Z1's knife.

Tom shuddered as he closed the cockpit door and eased himself into the familiar seat of his mobile suit, his child. He turned on all of the suit's systems and the monitors flared into life. He watched as one of the screens displayed the Arc Angel cruiser flying away from a battle that had cost the Earth military a carrier full of mobile dolls. He chuckled. The Arc Angel. The last of the Three Ship Alliance and the last vessel that co-ordinators could survive on. Tom shuddered again as he thought about the circumstances of the co-ordinators. He closed his eyes.

_It was not his fault. He had done his duty, as a soldier. He'd accepted his orders and executed them without fault or complaint. He was a soldier. He did as he was ordered to do. It was not his fault._

Somehow this soothed the Earthian commander as he engaged his thrusters and flew off to his soldiers and his dolls.

Heero stepped into the Wing Zero and sat down in the cockpit with a disgruntled sigh. Duo, upon hearing the sigh, thought it as his duty to cheer his gloomy friend up. After all, it was kinda his fault they were stuck in this weird dimension. And in the middle of space with some random kid named Kira and his 'Gundam'. Although Duo doubted the Strike to was really much of a Gundam. He floated up top to the open cockpit of the Zero,

"How's it hanging in there buddy?" he asked his fellow pilot with a giant smile. Heero shook his head, his expression unreadable, and his eyes blank,

"We're stuck here Duo. We are in another universe or something along those lines and worst of all…" he looked away as he thought of the worst part for him personally. Duo picked up on it though,

"You're missing Reliena already?" he asked his friend. Heero let a dry chuckle escape him,

"She's pregnant with my child and we're suppost to be getting married Duo. I guess being in an alternate universe has really lost its charm for me." He shook his head, still registering no emotion or feeling, "We need to leave as soon as possible Duo."

Duo nodded his agreement,

"I'm with you buddy. This old transport ship should get us to the closest colony in a few hours if that kid's calculations are correct. And I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to a good meal. I haven't even seen food that wasn't super frozen in at least three weeks!" He moaned and laid back as he aimlessly floated around the Mobil suit hanger. Heero nodded,

"It'll be good to get our strength back up to normal. And to see some other people. I think that Kira kid is starting to go stir crazy. Understandable with only three people and a few droids on this huge ship." He looked across the hanger at the Strike. He mentally scoffed; it was basically a weaker version of the Gundam 01. With all of the drawbacks of Heero's old suit and then some. Duo followed his gaze with a smile,

"I know what you're thinking man. If that thing was the main defence of that 'Arc Angel' ship he was telling us about then I have to wonder how much of a threat this 'Zaft' really is." Duo chuckled a bit, "Unlike the Deathscythe and the Zero that mobile suit is a walking disaster. It only has that weird sword and some small arms weapons for god's sake! I know the kid told us it could be upgraded depending on the situation but still…"

Duo went suddenly silent and Heero could tell it was because Kira had just entered the hanger.

Kira floated lazily over to the Zero's cockpit and sat on the edge of it. He sighed deeply,

"You know that your voice echoes in this hanger don't you Duo?" he asked out of the blue as he took a drink from a water bottle. Duo flapped his arms wildly round in circles,

"You heard me bad mouthing your Gundam? Aww man…"

"I didn't but thanks for confirming my suspicion." He smiled as he watched Duo mentally slap himself. Heero didn't register the trivial exchange,

"What is the eta for this colony?" he asked as he tapped away idly on the Zero's laptop. Kira breathed out deeply,

"About an hour or so. The computer said it would stop outside the main gate and give us an alarm to tell us." He said with a small smile, obviously anxious to be getting back to familiar territory instead of the vast nothingness of open space with two guys who'd been strangers to him not long ago. Heero closed the laptop,

"We should get some rest then." He said simply and pulled a blanket from out behind the seat. He sat down in the seat again and wrapped the blanket around himself and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

Kira shook his head in amazement,

"Is that guy for real? I swear he doesn't even need to sleep." He said, shaking his head slowly. Duo chuckled,

"Old Heero is definitely something alright. He's tougher than you co-ordinators I dare say." He smiled at Kira's raised eyebrow, "Would you survive if you stood in your cockpit while you self detonated and were flung to the rocky land bellow?"

"Well no… I'm still mortal." He said with a smile of his own. Duo frowned,

"Then Heero here isn't mortal. He lived through that experience. And many situations that were worse." Duo smiled, "but now we'd best get to bed. Let's question Heero's mortality another day."

Duo woke up, once again expecting the body heat of Hildy to be beside him and once again finding nothing but the cold empty space. He groaned. He needed to get back to her. He missed her. For god's sakes he loved her!

He got out of bed and made his way across the cold, metallic room. Into the metallic bathroom, a smaller metal box. Duo was really getting quite sick and tired of having every room he went into made of cast iron. Was it too much to get some plaster and some paint in here? He sighed as he brushed his teeth and washed his face.

He'd barely finished washing his face when a loud alarm sounded. It beeped only once but it had been loud enough to wake the dead.

_No need for a siren then… _He thought to himself with a chuckle. He walked back into the bedroom and pulled his space suit over her normal clothes. Time to get back to civilisation.

He walked down through the empty corridors, each shadow elongated and every tap of his toes seeming to echo all around his being. He shuddered before entering the hanger. He looked over at the Wing Zero and saw Heero already sitting on its exterior, his laptop on his lap as his fingers tapped away at speed. He smiled,

"Hey Heero! Sleep well?!" he called across to his friend before pushing off the walkway towards the Deathscythe Hell. He didn't hear Heero respond but heard the tapping of his fingers and their speed never let up. Obviously he was a bit too busy making the final adjustments to talk to his old buddy Duo.

Kira floated into the hanger, already suited up in his space suit, helmet already attached. He gave Duo a thumbs up sign and glided gracefully towards the Strike. He entered the smaller Gundam and closed the cockpit. As soon as the cockpit had closed he sighed and took off his helmet. He set it down on his knees and took out two photos. Both of girls who he had strong feelings for. Lacus and Cagali.

He had left them both at some point or another. He'd left Lacus by letting her go, letting her float into the arms of his friend, Athrun Zala. They'd gotten to know each other rather well and he'd found that she was the sort of person that he could fall for. But his feelings for Cagali were strong as well. He'd left her and the rest of the Arc Angel's when they'd made land in ORB. He'd broken it off with Flay and was considering telling Cagali about how he felt about her when he'd been told to check out a disturbance. He took the Strike and flew over to the area. Only to be engulfed in a white flash of light and to disappear from the face of the earth. Only to reappear thousands of miles away on a strange carrier ship with two other pilots and two other Gundams.

He sighed as he flicked the switches needed to engage the Strike. The screen lit up before his eyes and all his troubles seemed to melt away as their blue light bathed him from head to toe. His fingers flexed comfortably round the control sticks of the Strike. His breathing became slow and regular as he drew solace from the machine. He was close now. He'd see them both again. And he'd figure out how he felt about them. And then he'd help put an end to the war. He knew it. He'd help end the war and bring peace to the galaxy again.

Unknown to Kira, Duo or Heero, both galaxies had constructed their own peace during their absence. And they weren't the better of the two possible futures.

Tom sat down in the chair in the centre of the large bridge that operated as the central control centre for his ship, the _Afterlife. _He stared around the room at the dozens of earth crewmen that were stood at rigid attention all around the room. He'd totally forgotten that they were there as he had sat down in the chair of imposing black leather and silvery steel. He coughed,

"At ease men." The crewmen stood with their legs a little wider apart, their arms at their sides. Tom nodded, "Resume normal duties. Set the course for the colony GX77-TH67."

One of his officers coughed to get his attention as the other crewmen scrambled to complete the orders. He walked up to Tom's chair,

"Sir… is it wise to go to that colony? It is one of the…" he looked down at his feet in an unusual display of nervousness, "purged. Sir."

Tom let a small smile flicker into place,

"Officer Tradle… we have picked up a proximity warning from the colony. And as you and I both know, the colony has been purged. Which means that no ship should be anywhere near it." He looked at the older man, starting deeply into his eyes, "And we were ordered to investigate. And people on this ship always obey orders, do we not?"

Officer Tradle nodded abruptly, clearing all emotion from his face as he stood at attention again and saluted Tom,

"Aye Commander Grayson." He said simply. Tom nodded, satisfied, and stood up,

"First Officer Tradle. I leave the bridge to you." He said seriously before giving a disarming smile that made everyone on the bridge mirror the image, "Try not to crash into anything while I'm gone."

Officer Tradle had to try hard to restrain a burst of laughter when he saluted again,

"Are you never going to let that slide Commander?" he asked with a smile. Tom patted the older man on the shoulder,

"Not until I'm a grey haired old man. And only then cus you'll have departed before me old timer." They both smiled at the joke. Tradle was by no means an old man, barely into his thirties, but Tom was only nineteen. Tom nodded and left the bridge.

He sighed as he walked down the smooth corridors, taking for granted the artificial gravity that held him on the floor. He reflected briefly on his appointment to the position of commander. He'd had to earn it like everyone else of course, but he'd earned it with a only two actions. Both on the same day. The destruction of the Duel and Justice Gundams.

Tom shook his head to clear it of the memory of Athrun's voice over the communications array when he died. Shaking the scream clear from his mind he stood in front of a blank, metal door and knocked once. He waited for a short while before a voice came from within the room,

"You may enter." Came the female voice. Tom pushed the button and entered the room. It was clearly an apartment, made of a cluster of rooms. The entrance room doubled as the living and dining area while two doors led away from the comfortable room. One for the bedroom and one for the kitchen. The bathroom door was in the bedroom to save wall space for the living room's large collection of paintings, all of them of angels that had fallen from god's good graces.

Tom was staring at his favourite painting, one of an angel in a suit of armour being stabbed through the heart by a knight, when the bedroom door opened behind him. He turned on his heel to see Cagali Athha, dressed in a soft, pink linen blouse and a white skirt that floated around her knees and her bare legs. She had a towel in her hands and was drying her straw blonde hair with it. She stopped when she saw Tom looking at her and put her hands on her hips,

"What are you staring at Tom?" she asked indignantly. Tom smiled,

"I'm terribly sorry madam. I was under the impression this was Cagali Athha's room…" he began but was cut short when she threw the wet towel at him,

"GAH! I swear I'll throw a knife at you one of these days Tom Grayson!" she promised him, trying hard not to laugh. Tom smiled back at her as he threw the towel to the floor,

"It's just that this is the first time I've seen you wear pink…" they both blushed slightly and looked away from each other, "… it suits you."

Cagali chuckled a bit and looked around for something to throw at him,

"God… you idiot… you asked me to wear something pink!" she pointed out mildly. She turned to looked for something but when she turned back round Tom was standing close to her, his body almost touching her's but not quite. She felt a tingle go up her spine as his warm breath caressed her left cheek. She felt herself blush and brought her hands up between them to push him away but could find neither the strength nor the will to push him away. Tom smiled and gently moved his head forwards before giving her cheek a soft kiss,

"And it, like everything else you wear, makes you look beautiful." He whispered into her ear. She giggled slightly, despite her best efforts not to let the girly sound escape. She pressed her body against his,

"Why commander… I didn't know it was standard procedure to bring your pistol to a prisoner's room… much less hide it in your trousers…" she teased him and kissed his neck, "If you continue this way I may be forced to throw a knife at you to escape your advances…"

Tom chuckled. The knife throwing threat had been their earliest relationship. Tom as the commander of the ship she was being held on and her as the untrusting female prisoner. The relationship had taken a turn for the better though when Tom had had three crewmen court marshaled for trying to rape her one time. From then on the threat of the knife was still present but it gradually lost its meaning as she began to accept him as a friend and something more, despite his killing of Athrun.

It had taken almost half a year for her to trust him when she'd been brought on board. And he's known that she'd shoot daggers at him with her eyes for that and for everything that he'd been ordered to do during the last year they had been together. But she'd eventually come to love him as he had her. He smiled and took one of her hands in his own,

"Well them my little prisoner… may I escort you to your bedroom? Being away on recon in the _Respite_ does put this commander under so much stress… perhaps a massage will help me relax?" he suggested and kissed her neck. She breathed out deeply and started to steer Tom over to the bedroom door,

"And this little prisoner does get so frustrated when the commander leaves her on her own to go on recon patrol." She breathed into his ear, her voice becoming heavy with need. Tom's own voice was tainted with the same emotion as he responded,

"Well them my little prisoner… why do we have to wait in agony to get to the bedroom? The sofa is just a good if not…" he didn't finish however as a suddenly dominant Cagali pushed him backwards, onto the sofa and sat on his stomach, keeping him pinned,

"Much better…"

**3,605 words**

**For those of you who are interested, the really descriptive bits are yet to come. This part is just for explanation. To that end…**

**Duo and Heero were taken from the AC universe shortly after the end of the first war, at least eleven months before the Eternal Waltz War. **

**Kira was taken from the regular CE universe shortly after the Arc Angel reached ORB on earth. Before Kira learnt that Cagali was actually his twin sister.**

**Commander Tom Grayson is a totally original character who pilots a unique Gundam known as the Z1 **_**Respite**_**. He is the guardian and lover of Cagali Athha.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Descent into hell and the journey upwards

Heero looked out through the screen in front of himself and Wing Zero. He stared at the locked blast doors and the message sprawled across its surface, '_The filth of the universe has been purged in this forbidden and desolate place.'_

Heero saw Dup shivering over in the Deathscythe Hell. Heero found the strength to speak,

"Duo… we have to go inside." He said trying to hold back the fear of what they might find. No radio signals from the colony, despite persistent calls from Kira. Including one when he declared that he would destroy the Arc Angel and join ZAFT if they let him in. Nothing. This did not bode well with Heero; he knew the same silence was the sound that met survivors on a battlefield once the battle was over. Kira, his face pale on Heero's screen, took a deep breath before leveling his buster rifle at the door,

"I'll do it." He said slowly before pulling the trigger. A huge ball of light gathered at the end of the large rifle before it expanded and shot forwards in a beam. The shaft of yellow light slammed into the blast doors, tearing the metal to shreds. The Strike, Zero and Deathscythe slowly floated into the docking area. Once they were inside a second door closed the exit. Heero opened the Zero and stepped out onto the walkway, his pistol already in his hand. Duo's shaky laughter came, lazily as he and Kira approached Heero,

"I guess we worried about nothing' huh? No one's here." He sighed with audible relief. Kira nodded,

"Probably just an abandoned station. Perhaps Duo and I should check out the mayor's log…" he suggested as he looked around carefully. Heero nodded,

"And I'll check the habitation levels." He said before slowly walking towards the nearest lift, taking for granted the artificial gravity of the colony. He held his pistol ready the whole way. Duo shook his head,

"Sometimes I think Heero was born with that gun in his hands…" he said quietly to Kira as they walked towards the station's bridge. Kira nodded,

"I know the type." He said slowly. He took a deep breath before asking, seemingly absent mindedly, "So… what other things has Kira survived then?"

Duo whistled and rested his hands on his hips,

"Just about anything that ain't recommended to try." He sighed as he searched his memory, "Well… I shot him twice. He free fell off a sky scraper and had to roll down a cliff. He landed in the ocean with his first Gundam, after falling through the atmosphere, and survived to be washed up on the shore. And, not least of all, his Gundam narrowly escaped a huge explosion when he destroyed the last segment of a huge battleship that was really, too close to him."

Kira wasn't aware that his jaw had dropped until Duo pushed it back into place with a chuckle. Kira shook his head as they reached the door to the bridge. Duo grew serious and pushed the open button.

They walked into the room cautiously. Duo looked around quickly, letting out a sigh of relief when he realized that the room was as empty as the rest of the station. He strode over to the main computer and tapped away at the keys. He found the last entry in the log and read it out loud,

"_So much has passed in such a short period of time that it is hard to make sense of it all. Blue Cosmos' attacks on the station have become increasingly powerful. And we, the last free colony, are unable to hold them back_." Duo paused for a moment to see Kira standing just to his left, listening intently. Kira motioned for him to continue, "_We took in all the refugees that we could and our food supplies are terribly low. The people are starving and it is widely known that we face the same fate as the other colonies. May the Lord God almighty have mercy upon the souls of these innocents and forgive this old soldier for all the blood he has spilt… as we are all thrown into the eternal fires of a hell from which we shall never leave_."

Kira bit his bottom lip,

"How did Blue Cosmos get all the way out here? And how did they become strong enough for an armed colony to fear them…?" Let me check the date Duo." He shifted towards the seat in front of the screen and Duo took this as his cue to step away from the screen. Kira read and re-read the date over and over again, turning it over in his mind. He then checked the computer, checking what it thought was today's date. Kira closed his eyes, "I did travel through time… the last entry was dated six months after I disappeared. Today's date… is two years after I disappeared. I… I left them when I could have helped…"

Duo swallowed hard,

"What do you think those Blue Cosmos guys did here?" he asked vaguely. Heero's voice cut in over Duo's radio before Kira could answer,

"Unspeakable things Duo. Get to the level five habitation. There is something here that needs to be seen to be believed."

Heero stood by the entrance to one of the hundreds of warehouses that made up habitation level five. The things he had seen in the past few minutes had scarred him more than any of the killing he'd done, more than all the combat he'd ever experienced. Because the combat had been needed to make way for peace. What he'd seen did not need to exist in the state it did. Because anyone could tell that what he'd seen should never have been seen.

Heero nodded in recognition as Duo and Kira came walking up to him. Duo opened his mouth to speak but Heero just shook his head. Duo, obviously feeling his friend's morbid mood, didn't attempt to speak again. Heero began to turn, slowly, until he was stood facing the door controls. He sighed, a deep, shuddering sigh. He pushed the door release.

The first thing was the smell. The awful, sickening, stench that made the hair on the back of all three men stand to attention. It glided from one to the next, starting with Heero before finally reaching Kira and Duo. Like a living creature the smell rose, as if on hind legs, and entered the nose of each pilot in turn. Kira fell prey to the scent's venom and immediately, and violently, emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground in front of him. Duo fared better but still felt the bile rise up in his throat slightly. Heero nodded and they walked into the total darkness of the warehouse's interior.

The next thing to reach them were the sounds, seemingly enhanced by the absence of any light. The soft suckling noises of maggots feasting, the low bussing in the air from the adult maggots and the gentle pitter-patter of tiny feet as the rats scurried around.

The last detail was the sight, only revealed when Heero turned on the lights, obviously feeling that Kira had emptied his stomach enough already. He was right but Kira still wretched, a dry, rasping noise escaping him as his mind took in the sight before him. The sight that scarred the minds of all three pilots as they looked on in horror.

The thousands of rotting corpses, slowly decaying and being consumed by the maggots that crawled across the surface of the bodies, all piled high to the ceiling. Each body chalk white, the blood now only a sticky mess on the floor. The bodies locked together in unnatural positions, spines bent and limbs dangling, and through it all they bore the remarkable resemblance to white bricks, the white bricks of dozens of human pyramids. The skin of the bodies, pulled tight against the bones, was half gone on many bodies, the maggots doing that which nature commanded and eating the rotting flesh. But the cause of death was the same for all of the former human beings. Not the evident starvation but the obvious execution. Accompanying all of the half rotten flesh were the bullet holes, deep pocket in the skin that oozed puss and maggots, rotting down to the lodged slugs themselves. The thick, yellowy green puss seeped out of the holes and slid slowly down along the slick, white skin, out of three generations of people. Men and women, from younger than a year old to well over eighty, were piled together, the piles not arranged by any set characteristics. And all of them, without exception had two blank, glazed eyes that seemed to follow each of the pilots individually.

Heero returned the gaze with his own cold, uncaring stare. Kira sobbed and dry wretched over and over again. Duo did what any mentally stable person would have done. He freaked out. Duo shook his head wildly as he slowly walked backwards,

"No… this can't be real… no one could… do something like this… could they…?" he asked the others as he continued to walk backwards. Heero opened his mouth to warn Duo but it was too late. Duo, in his haste to leave, backed straight into one of the pyramids. Duo jumped up and recoiled at the same time as he felt the leathery skin touch the back of his neck. To make matters worse for him the top body was dislodged and fell straight on top of him, pinning him to the floor in a confused tangle of limbs.

Duo screamed. The cold, soulless eyes were moving in their sockets to look at him which ever way he moved. Duo kicked and thrashed. With every confused movement from him the body shifted on top of him. The sharp nails played across his skin, the puss leaked and oozed onto him and the cavernous mouth opened wide as it to eat Duo whole and…

Heero threw the corpse off of Duo and pulled his fellow pilot to his feet. Duo murmured and struggled weakly. Heero growled and punched Duo in the face. Duo went sprawling across the floor before he stopped himself. He took several deep, shuddering breaths and Kira ran over to help him up. Heero shook slightly,

"Duo… I need you to get a grip if you want to help me and Kira in our new mission." He watched as the other two pilots shared a confused look. Heero nodded, "We are going to hunt down whomever was responsible for this… and we shall avenge these people."

Kira nodded gravely, his gentle feature twisted with anger,

"I know who did this… it was Blue Cosmos. I'm in Heero." He should have been shocked at the conviction with which he spoke but he wasn't. He wanted to kill them. Kill every last member of Blue Cosmos until there wasn't one member left in the entire universe. Heero turned to Duo,

"Are you in?"

"Y-yeah I'm in. Or as you would say… mission accepted."

Tom groaned at the knock at the door, hoping that however was knocking would stop soon. Another knock. Tom sighed and got up off the sofa, careful not to wake the sleeping Cagali, and walked over to the door. He opened the door a crack to look at the ensign in the corridor,

"This had better be good…" he grumbled, still half asleep. The ensign nodded quickly,

"We have zoomed in on the colony using the sensors and found that the blast doors have been destroyed sir. Officer Tradle believes that someone has broken into the colony sir!" he said excitedly. Tom chuckled,

"Great… come get me if they attack us would ya? Otherwise just send out some scouts." He said before closing the door. He locked the door again and walked back over to the sofa. He knelt down and touched Cagali's cheek as she slept. Cagali smiled,

"You'd think that having so much practice at getting up first you'd have gotten better at not waking me up." She said and stuck her tongue out at him, her eyes still closed. Tom only smiled in silence. Cagali opened an eye and frowned, "You okay Tom?"

Tom nodded,

"Yeah. I'm fine Cagali. It's just… we're approaching one of the colonies." He said softly and looked down at the floor. Cagali swallowed hard and ran her fingers through his hair,

"Don't worry Tom. It was something you did a long time ago. I'm sure no one will judge you for what you did. You only did what you were ordered to do." She rested his head in her lap as she sat up, "It'll be fine Tom. No one blames you."

Tom sniffed,

"Yeah… I know. I did as I was told. I was, and am, a soldier. Thanks Cagali." He said and kissed her inner thigh. Cagali giggled again,

"Again? You really are unstoppable…"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Tools of our destruction

The scouts sighed as they flew slowly towards the second doors of the colony. The two pilots searched the area around the docking bay's second door, their Virgo mark 2 suits floating around effortlessly. One of the scouts, one ensign Goldstein, opened up a video link to his fellow scout,

"Hey Trival. Think we'll actually get to fight these rebels?" he asked playfully as he moved his Virgo in front of the door. The female scout laughed,

"Unlikely. These cowards hear that Commander Grayson's here and they'll go running with their tails between their legs." She said with a smirk, surveying the surrounding area in her own Virgo. Goldstein let out a sigh and pointed his Virgo's beam rifle at the door to the colony. He tapped the sides of his joysticks, clearly annoyed,

"Are you going to run the scans then Trival or are we just going to float here until the..." he was cut off however as a huge beam of yellow energy ripped through the second blast door for the colony and engulfed his Virgo suit. His automatic energy shields hadn't had enough time to deploy and as a result the suit, and the man inside, were ripped apart and blown out of existence in a monumental flash. Trival threw herself forwards in her seat,

"GOLDSTEIN!" she screamed at her com link, refusing to believe the screen in front of her. She slowly fell back into her seat, shocked. She'd been in battle before but none of the attacks the rebels had made against her scout unit had been successful. So this was her first experience of knowing someone who'd died in combat.

Warning lights flashed in her cockpit and she snapped back to her senses. She brought up a different screen that focused on the door to the docking bay. Her mouth hung open as she looked at the Strike Gundam, gleaming in the light of the stars, its ship destroying sword in its right hand, its buster rifle in its left. She knew it was the Strike for one simple reason. She knew her history. The Strike was the first Gundam that had been used against ZAFT but it had suddenly disappeared. Now here it was again, thousands of miles from where it had last been seen.

The Strike's head moved slowly until it stared straight at her Virgo suit. A screen popped up in front of her, showing a pilot of no more than 17 inside the Strike. Kira. The pilot of the Gundam Strike. She shook her head in disbelief. Kira focused on her with cold, angry, eyes,

"Declare yourself. Where do you're allegiances lie?" he asked her coldly but calmly. She gulped,

"I am ensign Trival of the Earthian space forces under-"

"Be quiet! We want to know if you are with Blue Cosmos! Answer us!" came another voice and her screen split into three. One showed Kira, another showed a boy wearing a green vest and the other showed a boy with long hair dressed in black. The boy in black was the one who'd shouted at her and it was only now that she noticed that all three of the pilots had anger etched into every inch of their faces. She coughed slightly,

"As is common knowledge… the Earthian forces answer to the united government of Earth. Where the leading party is the Blue Cosmos party so I am with Blue Cosmos." She informed the angry pilots simply. The boy in black let out a twisted laugh,

"Then you are our enemy." He said, a shadow falling over his face, "And the god of death will send you straight to hell!"

More warning lights flashed in her cockpit as a black mobile suit came into view. It was detailed with white paint and carried a staff in its hands. The staff had two curved beams jutting out of the top end. So, Trival supposed, it was a scythe that the mobile suit was wielding. Her auto shields sprung out from the Virgo's shoulders and she moved automatically, leveling her beam rifle at the enemy and firing five shots in quick succession. The pilot in black laughed inanely as he nimbly avoided all of the blasts,

"Not good enough darling! I've been killing these machines for awhile now and have gotten pretty good at it!" he snarled and his mobile suit twirled the scythe in its hands before bringing it downwards upon Trival's Virgo. The scythe cut straight through one of the shield projectors and sliced down through the torso of the Virgo, cutting the suit neatly in two. Both halves exploded in a flash of bright light and ensign Trival's life ended.

Duo was breathing heavily as the Strike and the Zero floated along side the Deathscythe. Heero's face came onto Duo's screen,

"They're using Virgo suits Duo. I think they may have come through in the same way we did." He said as he processed the situation. Duo got his breathing under control and nodded,

"And by the looks of it they've had them for longer than we've been here. The pilot knew what she was doing, even if she wasn't a match for the god of death." He said as he checked the Deathscythe's scanners. Kira's face appeared on the screen,

"We have a battleship moving in this direction. Insignia show it to be from Earth." He said as he too checked his Gundam's scanners. Heero nodded,

"Alright. We all know the plan of action right? If they don't surrender and destroy their mobile suits then we kill them all. Understood?" he commanded, already slotting back into his position as leader. Duo nodded,

"Gotcha Heero. No kills until they refuse." He said and the Deathscythe engaged its active camouflage, becoming invisible to the naked eye. Kira raised an eyebrow,

"Shouldn't that be 'if' they refuse?" he asked. Duo just chuckled before setting off towards the battleship in the cloaked Deathscythe. Heero shook his head and the Zero transformed into it's bird mode,

"These are trained soldiers Kira. No soldier gives up their weapons without a fight unless they see a good reason to. We are three mobile suits. They won't destroy their weapons for us." He said simply before powering up the Zero bird's thrusters and flying off towards the battleship. Kira shook his head and followed in the Strike,

"Alright then. I'll announce the message."

Tom sighed again as a knock sounded at the door. Cagali groaned,

"Can't they just go away and deal with it? We were just getting back into the swing of things…" she complained teasingly. Tom smiled and pulled his trousers back on before walking over to the door. He opened it and was more than a bit surprised to find Officer Tradle in the corridor. He returned Tradle's salute,

"Officer Tradle. What seems to be the problem?" he asked the older man as he caught a shirt thrown by Cagali. As he buttoned up his shirt Tradle swallowed hard,

"Sir. The two scouts we sent out to investigate the colony have been destroyed." He said quickly. Tom stopped getting dressed before Tradle continued, "Both were in Virgo suits. We received one still image from the cockpit of the second Virgo before it was terminated."

Tradle produced a photo of the inside of a Virgo cockpit. There were two screens that captured the eye. One showed a very strange looking mobile suit swinging what appeared to be a beam scythe. The other showed the face of one Kira Yamato. Tom blinked several times before speaking,

"You do realize who is on the screen don't you Tradle?" he asked his subordinate. Tradle nodded gravely. Tom nodded, "We need to check his intentions first. I take it he, and any of his companions, are flying towards the ship as we speak?"

Tradle had to be surprised at his commander's insight into the mind of the other young pilot. He nodded,

"He is flying towards the ship with another mobile suit that resembles a mobile armor but has several extra features that lead the mechanics to believe that it is actually a mobile suit that can transform into a mobile armor." He paused for breath and Tom began to think about the strange mobile suit that was with Kira. Tradle continued, "We have also found a heat source that is heading towards the ship alongside the Strike and the mobile armor. Though we cannot get a visual of it."

Tom nodded,

"Cloaking technology. This isn't some minor rebels we're dealing with here. We're dealing with three highly dangerous machines." He paused for thought for a moment and heard Cagali come up behind him, already dressed in her space suit,

"So. Kira Yamato has returned in the Gundam Strike." She sniffed once, "If he turns out to be a hostile I'll combat him in the Rouge IWSP."

Tom frowned but nodded,

"First we check their intentions. If they are hostile…" he breathed deeply as the thrill of a coming battle filled his body, "We launch all of the Virgos. All mobile dolls. And we launch the Rouge IWSP and Respite."

Heero looked at the small battleship as it came to a halt. It was an impressive ship despite its size, boasting dozens of beam cannons and a pair of massive engines at the rear. Heero stopped the Zero bird and transformed back into mobile suit form. He waited as the Strike drew level with the Zero. He opened up his communications screen and looked into the large bridge of the battleship. The screen split in two as Kira engaged in communication with the ship as well. Kira nodded at the ship's captain,

"My name is Kira Yamato, pilot of the Gundam Strike. We are hereby issuing you a warning. We are aware that you are a Blue Cosmos ship and are prepared to destroy you if you do not self detonate all of your mobile suits. You have five minutes to comply." He said slowly and clearly. This was one message that's meaning he didn't want to be lost. The ship's captain looked back at Kira,

"Firstly we will not talk to only two of you. Bring the other mobile suit pilot into this conversation and his suit into view or this conversation will end here." He said reasonably. Duo chuckled as he engaged his communication system,

"Well there's no point in hiding the beauty that is Deathscythe." He said with a smile. The Deathscythe came into full view as he disabled the active camo setting. The captain nodded,

"This action has been noted and received in good grace." He said simply. Heero spoke for the first time,

"You now have four minutes to comply." He said, not looking at the screen. The captain shook his head,

"This is a warship and we reserve the right to bear arms against the enemies of the Earth." He said evenly. Kira scoffed,

"Enemies of the Earth? Are you talking about co-ordinators?" he asked with a touch of anger in his voice. The captain nodded,

"Yes. This vessel is a part of the Earthian space force and therefore-"

"Three minutes"

"And therefore the race known as co-ordinators is our biggest target." He finished, giving Heero a dirty look for interrupting. Kira chuckled,

"You're not intimidated then by us?" he asked innocently. The captain shook his head,

"Like I said. We are a warship. We carry over thirty Virgo suits and two special units." He said with pride. Heero chuckled,

"Two minutes." He said carefully, gripping the controls tighter as he got ready for the impending battle. Kira sighed,

"I see we are not going to reach an agreement on this subject." He noted coldly. He did regret what he was going to have to do to the people aboard the ship. But then he remembered the glazed eyes of a five year old boy. His skin a mess of puss and maggots as he decayed in the dark. His hands gripped the controls tight. The captain shook his head,

"I must ask you to leave this air space im-"

"One minute"

"Immediately or we will engage you in combat." He said and nodded to one of his crewmen. The crewman tapped on his computer and spoke into his microphone. The docking bay of the ship opened and thirty Virgo suits flew out in quick succession, before lining themselves up neatly in a row. Obviously mobile dolls from the neatness of the formation. Duo licked his lips,

"I've missed playing with these dolls…" he said with a chuckle as he ignited his beam scythe. The Strike swung its ship destroyer sword in its hand before pointing it at the battleship's bridge. The Zero split its double buster cannon into two buster rifles and leveled them both at the ship. Heero closed his eyes. Kira turned off his communication to the ship and locked the communications array into the frequency the three pilots had decided to use as their private line. Duo did the same. Heero kept the screen with the captain on it up. He spoke slowly,

"You have been warned and you have been given ample time to surrender your arms." He opened his eyes suddenly, "NOW YOU PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES!"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Twisted Destinies

Duo screamed as he pushed the throttle down, sending Deathscythe flying towards the massed mobile dolls, its scythe held up in front like a lance from medieval times. The dolls scattered but one of them wasn't fast enough and Duo struck without restraint, slicing the Virgo in two. The Virgo exploded and Duo changed Deathscythe's direction, facing the newly regrouped formation of dolls to his left. The dolls let loose a huge barrage of fire and Duo was forced to bring up Deathscythe's shield to avoid having to let his Gundam take huge damage.

He growled in the cockpit and thrust the shield out of the way as the fire relented. He pointed Deathscythe's left arm and fired the buster shield into the mass of enemies. It lodged itself in the torso of one of the Virgos and the suit exploded in a huge fireball. The other Virgos once again piled fire on against Duo.

He swore as Deathscythe was rocked by a hit to the side from one of the dolls. He shifted it round quickly before jetting straight at a group of three dolls. The dolls reacted strangely however and drew their beam swords. Undeterred Duo flew in with Deathscythe, swinging the scythe at the centre doll. The doll parried the attack with its beam sword and held the scythe in place. Duo frowned as the doll on his left used this as an opening to attack with its own beam sword. He flicked a switch and the thrusters on the scythe activated and the blunt end of the scythe slammed into the head of the Virgo suit, causing the head to explode and the doll to become immobile. He chuckled and spun Deathscythe round in a spin. The retrieved buster shield slashed into the torso of the Virgo that had been to his right and that suit also exploded. The last remaining doll of the group swung it's sword at Duo and he had to block the attack with his buster shield. He used this to his advantages however and shot into the Virgo's chest piece with Deathscythe's head mounted Vulcan guns. The heavy metal rounds slammed into the Virgo's torso and hit the reactor. The doll exploded like its fellows and Duo spun Deathscythe round to face the remaining dolls.

He swore again. There were still too many of them, twenty nine at least. He moved Deathscythe expertly to avoid their fire as they shot burst after burst at him from their beam rifles. He couldn't defeat that many. He could defeat ten no problem but beating thirty or more in a row was something that he was doubtful about. Especially with the way these mobile dolls behaved. Unlike the dolls he'd fought in the past they had adapted for close range combat as well, obviously being upgraded in the sword department.

He shook his head. His vision blurred and suddenly all he could see were the cold, unforgiving eyes of the dead man that had fallen from the pyramid onto him. He looked into the eyes now and he didn't feel fear. He felt anger and hatred directed at those who could degrade a human being so much that his corpse was a nightmare to even think about. But he also felt something stir inside himself. Something that he'd always felt when fighting OZ and White Fang. He felt conviction. He was doing the right thing. And moreover… he wasn't about to give up fighting for this cause because of a few improved dolls. Duo snapped out of his trance with a roar and vaguely, in the back of his mind, he thought he saw a seed explode.

Kira breathed calmly as he flew the Strike over the hull of the battleship, shooting his buster rifle at the cannon emplacements along the top edge of the ship. He watched as the laser cannons exploded in burst of yellow light and the battleship rocked with the force of the explosions. He frowned. He had no idea why Heero hadn't already destroyed the ship though. If his buster cannon had more than twice the power of a regular buster rifle then why was he waiting? Why didn't he destroy the ship with a single blast?

His thoughts were interrupted however when he heard Duo swearing over their chosen frequency. He turned the Strike round in mid flight and jetted off towards Duo and the battling mobile dolls. He was about to get involved in the fight when warning lights flashed in the back of his mind. Sure enough these instinctive warning lights were followed by the warning lights in the Strike's cockpit. He rolled the Strike to the left, just in time to avoid the beam of energy that would have fried the Strike whole. He spun the Strike round to face the new enemy. His jaw fell open as he saw the Strike Rouge flying towards him, two ship destroyer swords drawn and two cannons mounted on its back. His mind flashed back to the days before his disappearance. It was the Strike Rouge. It was Cagali.

Kira opened up communications and, sure enough, Cagali filled his screen. She looked older than when he'd last seen her but then it was hardly surprising when two years had passed since he'd gone missing. She had tears in her eyes and she looked at Kira via the com screen,

"Kira you bastard! Where did you disappear to? We needed you!" she cried out and fired the mounted cannons at him again. Kira twisted the Strike out of the way and pointed his buster rifle at the Rouge,

"Cagali! I have seen what Blue Cosmos has done to the co-ordinators! If you're with them then…" he paused as he realized that he'd have to kill her. Cagali seemed to have no hesitation at all however and the Rouge bore down on the Strike as she slashed at him with one of her swords. The Strike blocked the attack with its left arm shield and parried the other sword with its own ship destroyer sword. Kira was beginning to sweat,

"Cagali why are you fighting with Blue Cosmos?" he demanded before flicking the Strike's left arm, forcing the Rouge to let go of its right hand sword. He pulled the trigger and his buster rifle fired from behind the shield. The blast was a close miss but the Rouge managed to spin out of the way in time to avoid it. Cagali growled at Kira,

"I am not with Blue Cosmos Kira! How dare you accuse me of that!" she screamed and fired the mounted cannons at Kira again. Kira dodged one of the blasts and batted the other aside with his sword,

"Then why are you fighting for them Cagali?" he demanded before firing his rifle at her again. The Rouge rolled out of the way again and grabbed its second sword before firing its cannons again. Cagali shook her head,

"I'm not fighting for them Kira. I'm fighting for the commander of this ship!" she said and the Rouge sprung out towards the Strike, slashing with both swords again. Kira increased the power to the Strike's thrusters and it shot upwards, effectively dodging the Rouge's attack. Kira frowned,

"Why are you fighting for that guy on the bridge?" he asked, confused and angry at the same time. Cagali laughed and spun the Rouge onto its back before firing at Kira again,

"He'd not the commander. I'm fighting for the commander and I'm fighting for him because I love him!" she declared as she entered a trance that she rarely entered.

Kira swore as the Rouge flew straight upwards, both swords swinging in graceful arcs towards the Strike while the cannons fired repeatedly. He narrowly dodged the blasts before flying straight into the Rouge's charge, sword first. He thrust the Strike's shield arm out to the left and one of the Rouge's swords bounced out of the way. The Strike's sword swung true and sliced the two cannon's in two.

Cagali broke communication with Kira and swore. She flew away from the Strike with a burst from the Rouge's thrusters. She flicked a switch and the twin cannons and the attachment pack fell off the Rouge's back. The Rouge grasped both swords again and flew straight back into combat with the Strike, the pilot barely noticing as the cannon pack exploded.

Kira screamed a challenge as he swung his sword up to meet the Rouge's attack. The first sword attack was successfully deflected by the Strike's sword but the second got past the shield and cut into the side of the Strike's left arm. Kira flicked a switch and the shield left the arm. He let go of the buster rifle and opened the Strike's hip compartment. The Armor Schneider combat knife was jettisoned straight upwards and the Strike caught it in its left hand in time to parry the Rouge's third attempt to slice Kira out of existence.

Kira closed his eyes as the two mobile suits struggled in the embrace of metal blades. When he opened them again he was looking into the eyes of the five year old boy again. Those sad orbs stared at him softly, pleadingly. The eyes seemed to be speaking to him personally. 'Please mister… get them for me…' The eyes said to Kira. He felt the anger, hot and endless swell up inside of him. When he opened his eyes tears escaped and his pupils had grown to at least twice their normal size. He roared in anger and defiance as he entered the seed trance.

The Strike struck out with both dagger and sword at the Rouge. The Rouge parried both attacks with its swords but Kira didn't care. He carried on attacking, getting faster and stronger with each thrust and each slash he made. Each attack he made was blocked by an equally entranced Cagali but this only seemed to fuel his desire to win this battle and all the others that would be fought to avenge the deaths of those people. His conviction and anger rose to such untold levels that he wasn't even aware as tears flew from his eyes and the Strike attacked its sister machine in fluid motion.

Heero flew the Wing Zero in front of the bridge and leveled one of his twin rifles at the glass windows. He growled over the communication link at the men inside,

"You people cannot call yourselves soldiers! What I saw back there was the work of butchers! Murderers!" he shouted at them as he charged up both rifles, "And it is time to wipe you monsters out of existence!"

Just as Heero was about to fire both buster rifles into the bridge two blasts of energy came flying towards the Zero. He maneuvered the Zero as if it were his own body and the mobile suit bent backwards at the hips, allowing the twin blasts to fly straight over its chest. Heero turned the Zero round to face the new mobile suit that was pointing two buster rifles in his direction.

The mobile suit was black with a silver outline and vaguely resembled the Gundam Wing 01. The suit was big even by mobile suit standards and had four wings that jutted out from its back, each with its own thruster. But the suit was bare apart from the wings and the two buster rifles. It had a shield attached to its left arm like most suits but it had no visible features that made it a remarkable suit.

Heero narrowed his eyes and the Zero launched itself towards the new enemy, both buster rifles firing the weaker, rapid fire blasts. The black suit combated this by setting up its own barrage of fast shots, each blast hitting one of Heero's and canceling it out. Heero frowned and joined the twin buster rifles together to form his buster cannon. He leveled it at the mobile suit and fired, the massive energy beam flying straight towards the strange mobile suit.

Heero watched as the suit stood still until his view was obscured by the blast. The power of the impact shook the Zero but Heero held it steady. When the energy beam had dissipated Heero looked up with small wonder at the strange suit. It was still standing perfect but it two had joined together its twin buster rifles and made a buster cannon. Heero's mind quickly put two and two together and he realized that the pilot must have cancelled out Heero's buster cannon shot with a buster cannon shot of his own. Heero flicked a switch and the image of the other pilot came up on one of Heero's screens. He stared at the older boy. The pilot couldn't even be in his twenties yet. Heero looked straight into the other pilot's eyes,

"Interesting mobile suit you've got there." He commented as the two mobile suits began to circle each other. The pilot nodded,

"Same goes for you. I am Commander Tom Grayson. And I want to know why you are attacking my ship." He said calmly, obviously not in any rush to get down to battle. Heero nodded,

"My name is name is Heero Yuy, pilot of the Gundam Wing Zero. I am here to kill you and destroy your ship to avenge the people that the organization, Blue Cosmos, killed in the colony not far from here." He stated his mission simply and without any emotion in his voice or demeanor. Inside though he was a bubbling mixture of boiling emotions.

Tom nodded,

"Then I shall do my duty as a soldier, and an officer, and defend my men from the enemy without question." He said before throwing his buster cannon away. He flicked a switch and a beam sword flew out of the Respite's leg, flying into its hand. Tom ignited the blade and flew straight at Heero, slashing downwards with the beam sword.

Heero reacted quickly and drew his own beam sword in time to block the Respite's attack. The Zero closed the gap between itself and the Respite and slammed a fist into the other suit's side. The Respite didn't yield however but rather pulled its head back before head butting the Zero. The Zero flew backwards for a second before charging again, sword held high.

Once again the blades met above the machines and the two mechanical monsters were forced into hand to hand combat. The Respite punched the Zero in the torso but the Zero counter by letting the two Vulcan guns attached to its wings open fire on the Respite. The Respite recoiled from the bullets and Heero pressed the advantage in the Zero, bringing the beam sword in a downwards arc towards the torso of the Respite. Tom saw this move coming and used the Respite's powerful legs to get away from the attack by pushing off from the Zero.

Heero frowned as he attacked with the sword again. The Zero system wasn't giving him any possible outcomes. It was working perfectly fine otherwise but it wasn't giving him any glances of the future. He frowned even more as a little light flashed, telling him that the Zero system was fighting at its absolute maximum level. And yet it still wasn't enough to beat this strange suit, the Respite.

The Zero carried on fighting even though it was fighting at its limit. Tom had to work hard to avoid the sword that came slashing down with dreadful power and strength. The Respite's sword blocked every one of the attacks though with its own power and strength. Tom noticed the Z system blink at him. He frowned. The Z system was telling him that it had reached its limit. It was increasing his awareness and his overall fighting ability but it was still not enough to defeat the Wing Zero. How very odd.

The Zero lashed out at the Respite again with its sword and the Respite blocked the blow with its own sword. Heero growled and the Zero pushed itself forwards anyway, pressing both of the machines close together, the dueling swords between them. Heero gritted his teeth. It was make or break time here. If the Zero could manage it then the two swords would cut into the Respite and Heero could press the advantage and destroy his enemy. He pushed the Zero even further and the two swords moved towards the Respite a bit more before stopping.

Tom had set his features in a perfect mask of determination as he and the Respite held the two swords away from the torso of the black mobile suit. The Respite's arm joints groaned under the pressure and the two swords came closer still, touching the armor of the machine's chest. Tom heard warning sirens and alarms as he saw sparks fly from the small cut in the chest. He flicked a couple of switches and the Respite pushed harder against the two swords, forcing them away from it's torso.

The Zero spoke to Heero's mind and it was not happy. It was being held to a draw by another machine and it didn't like that one bit. Heero agreed with the system. He could not lose this battle. He had to carry on fighting for the mission. Heero noted the image of a seed exploding in his mind before he flung himself back into the fight fully.

The Zero suddenly released the pressure on the two swords and flew backwards before quickly attacking again, its sword darting in quick jabs. The Respite's sword wasn't able to stop all of the jabs and Tom was forced to start the Respite in a steady retreat, dodging left and right to avoid being impaled. He swore as the Zero's Vulcan guns started to pen fire while the beam sword continuously jabbed at the Respite.

Tom shook his head. He would not lose to this pilot. He had to protect the ship. He had to protect his men. He had to protect Cagali. The seed in Tom's mind exploded for the second time in his life.

The Respite suddenly became faster until it was matching the Zero in speed. The thrusts and parries from both mobile suits blurring until it was impossible to follow the shafts of light with the human eye alone. But of course both pilots weren't using the human eye alone. Both pilots were fighting with systems that integrated their minds with the combat computers of their mobile suits. And both of them had become entranced with the battle.

Tom was completely focused on his goal to destroy the mobile suit he was fighting, so much so that he didn't hear the call from Officer Tradle over his com link until Tradle was on his fifth call. Tom answered irritably,

"What do you want Tradle? Can't you see I'm busy here?!" he demanded of the older man as he slashed and slashed again at the Zero but to no avail. Tradle seemed to grow smaller under the harsh eyes and words of his commander but found the courage to speak,

"Commander… a large rebel ship has just entered the area and the-"

"They've entered the area?!" Tom repeated before swearing in disgust and anger. Although he was focused on his battle with Heero he was still a commander. He had to do what was right in the interests of his men. He took a deep breath, "Bring in all mobile suits ASAP! We are withdrawing from the area!"

Tradle saluted and cut off the communication. Tom growled in frustration and the Respite flew backwards and away from the Zero. Tom opened up communications with Heero again. He noted that Heero was breathing hard but also noted that his own breathing was becoming heavy,

"The rebels have entered the area. I am an officer and a solider foremost. We shall continue this battle another time perhaps." He didn't wait for a reply but rather opened communication with Cagali. Cagali answered the call grudgingly,

"What's wrong Tom?" she asked before grunting, attacking the Strike again. Tom found himself slowly coming out of the trance as he flew towards the ship,

"The rebels have entered the area. We need to withdraw." He said coolly before firing a blast from his buster cannon between the Rouge and the Strike. The Strike flew backwards and the Rouge used it as an opportunity to escape back into the hanger bay of the battleship. The Respite followed it inside and the doors closed.

Kira launched the Strike towards the ship. He had the Strike's sword ready when Heero shouted at him over the communication channel,

"Kira!" he shouted at his fellow pilot. Kira stopped in mid flight at the sound of his name being called and slowly drew out of the trance. He breathed softly,

"Yeah Heero?" he asked the other boy as he saw the Zero bird fly towards him,

"We need to get Duo away from those mobile dolls. The rebels have entered the area in their own battleship. We can use it to make repairs." He said with a sigh. Kira nodded and the Strike shot off in the direction of the Deathscythe. Duo's face appeared on both of their screens before they got there however. Duo laughed wildly,

"Hell yeah! The god of death just keeps getting better!" he shouted as he flew to meet the Strike and the Zero bird. The Zero transformed and pointed towards the rebel ship,

"We need to get to the rebels Duo. They can help us make repairs and we can use their resources in our mission." He said calmly as he watched the Earthian ship make its getaway. Duo nodded and they all flew off in the direction of the rebel ship.

When they were closer to the ship a woman appeared on their screens, dressed in a military uniform with brown hair and a hat. Kira laughed loudly,

"I don't believe it! Lieutenant Ramius!" he cried and felt tears well up in his eyes. Murrue smiled and a single tear fell from her eye,

"Welcome back to our universe ensign Yamato."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Andrew Waltfeld + Murrue Ramius + Blitz Gundam + **CGUE DEEP Arms ****Crew of the Traverse **

Against injustice, for tolerance

Kira walked the Strike into one of the hanger bays of the rebel ship with a huge sigh of relief. The Strike had been running low on power during the battle with the improved Strike Rouge. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that if it had not been for his superior abilities as a Gundam pilot Cagali would have overwhelmed the Strike with newer and more advanced technology. He slowed the Strike right down to a slow trot. He eased it into a frame made for a larger mobile suit and waited for the automated walkway to extend until it was in front of the Strike.

He saw Murrue on the extending walkway along with another person, a man, dressed in a similar uniform. Kira thought he recognized the man but put it out of his mind. He'd been away for just over two years. He couldn't be expected to know every face on this ship. He pushed a button and the Strike's cockpit opened slowly, leaving only a small gap between the end of the Strike's drawbridge-like cockpit and the walkway. Kira pushed off from his seat and floated slowly towards Murrue and the man, whose face was covered by his hat. Kira stopped himself from floating by grabbing hold of one of the rails attached to the walkway. Kira smiled warmly and held his hand up against his face in a salute.

Murrue took a deep breath and slapped Kira once around the face.

Kira's smile had left his face but his hand did not move away from his face. He nodded curtly,

"Ma'm." he said simply. The man chuckled and raised his head. Kira couldn't help but gasp. It was Andrew Waltfeld, the desert tiger. The older man patted Kira on the shoulder,

"Nice to see ya again Kira. Don't be put off by Murrue's initial reaction. She's a bit emotional right now." He said with a friendly smile. Kira looked over at Murrue to see her crying. He placed a hand on her shoulder and brought her into a soft embrace. She clung to him desperately and sobbed into his shoulder,

"Kira… I-I thought you were…. I thought you were dead…" she managed to gasp out between sobs. Kira smiled and hugged her tighter,

"I'm fine Lieutenant…" he said with an awkward chuckle. Murrue let go of Kira and stood up to her full height again, whipping her tears away as she returned to her calm and commanding demeanour,

"It's Captain now ensign." She said with the same authority that Kira remembered from before his disappearance. She nodded to Waltfeld, "You've met Andrew before. He is now Commander Waltfeld of the CLF."

Kira frowned at the title and Walfeld laughed warmly,

"The Clyne Liberation Front my boy!" he said and clapped Kira on the back, "The last military force in the universe not to bow down to the demands of Blue Cosmos and hand over all co-ordinators for 'purification'."

Kira smiled dreamily,

"So Lacus is the leader of the CLF?" he asked excitedly. Andrew nodded with his own smile,

"Yup. Wouldn't be much of a name if she wasn't." he said slyly. Murrue sighed,

"That is not the most pressing matter at hand Andrew. First we need to find out more about the two pilots that are with Kira." She said. Andrew nodded,

"Of course Murrue. I was getting to that part." He said with a smirk that Murrue pretended not to notice. Kira nodded,

"They appeared in the same transport ship as I did two weeks ago. Their names are-"

"Duo Maxwell."

"And Heero Yuy." Came the twin interuptions of the other two pilots as they walked over to the two officers and Kira. Andrew looked them both up and down,

"And where did you two come from then?" he asked cooly. Duo opened his mouth to answer but Heero held up and hand and he fell silent. Heero looked straight into Waltfeld's eyes,

"We were conducting a simple trainning exercise with our Gundams on the surface of the moon when we were taken here by an unseen force. We left during the After Colony era, the world under the fair rule of Reliena Peacecraft." He said slowly, to make sure that Andrew and Murrue understood. Andrew nodded,

"Well that's all I needed to know. We already know you're an enemy of Blue Cosmos so that makes you our allies." He said and broke out into a warm smile, "Heero Yuy, Kira Yamato and Duo Maxwell…. Welcome aboard the battleship _Traverse_!"

Tom and Cagali walked down the corridors of their ship back to their quarters in silence. The crewmen they met along the way all concratulated them on their piloting skills but niehter Tom nor Cagali really paid their comments any heed. Tom opened the door to their shared quarters and they both entered. Tom closed the door behind them and they both went over to the sofa where they'd made love only a few hours ago.

Tom sighed as he sat down next to Cagali. Cagali sniffed and moved up closer to him. He put an arm round her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled slightly and hugged her closer to him. He sighed again,

"Despite what happened today Cagali… I'm just glad you're alright." He turned his head and kissed her forhead. Cagali chuckled gently but sniffed again afterwards,

"Tom… it was Kira. In the Strike." She said softly. Tom didn't move,

"I know Cagali." He said simply. Of course he'd known. They both knew that he had known that from the start of the battle. Cagali looked up at him,

"Tom… I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill Kira even though…" she couldn't finish so Tom finished for her,

"Even though he is your brother." He said with the same small smile. She nodded slightly. Tom sighed,

"Cagali… you did what you had to do. He was determined to kill you and you stopped him from achieving his goal and that-"

"But I wanted to kill him Tom! I wanted to kill my own brother!" she interupted before bursting into tears. Tom wrapped both of his arms around her and kissed her neck,

"I know Cagali. I understand. You didn't conciously want to kill him… but something inside you wanted to." He said, speaking her thoughts almost exactly. She sniffed, a sound that may have been an attempt at a laugh,

"You know I hate it when you read my mind." She said teasingly. Tom chuckled. It was a gift of his to sense the emotions and thoughts of people while in battle and after it. Many were the joke about him being a phycic. He smiled and kissed Cagali on the cheek,

"No you don't. You love me really." He said with a gentle smile, once again truly thankful that she did actually love him. Cagali nodded,

"I do love you. And that's why I wanted to kill Kira. He wanted to kill you and I… I won't let that happen." She looked up at him with teary eyes, "I won't let anyone take you from me!"

She flung herself onto him even more, covering him almost entirely with her own body. Tom welcomed the full body hug and hugged her back. He felt tears slowly welling up in his own eyes. He truly loved her and it was a massive comfort to know that she felt the same way about him. He kissed her cheek again,

"No one will ever break us apart Cagali." He said with conviction. Cagali raised her head to look into his eyes. He smiled softly,

"I promise you Cagali… I will never leave you."

Duo watched as the small convoy of mobile suits came flying towards the Traverse. He examined the suits as closely as he could from the window of his quarters. There were eleven suits in total, ten blue suits were acting as the escort while one black suit flew towards the hanger bay with the Zero, Deathscythe and Strike inside. He frowned and looked over his shoulder at both Kira and Heero,

"Who do you think Andrew called anyway? They seem to be worth a lot to this cause if they come with two battleships and an escort of ten mobile suits." He said as he continued to watch the procession. Heero, busy tapping away on his laptop, didn't even look up before answering,

"My guess is that it is one of the cause's leaders." He said before returning to his work. Kira and Duo frowned at Heero as he carried on working,

"Hey Heero… you've been working on that thing since we got our room." Observed Kira from behind his book. Duo nodded his agreement while returning to his surveillance. Heero stopped typing to look up at them,

"This is very important. It'll be done a lot quicker if I have fewer interruptions. It needs to be ready before we next go into battle." He said before returning to his work. Duo's interest was peaked at the reference to battle,

"Why? Is it something to do with the Gundams? Cus if it is you'd better not be messing around with the Deathscythe." He warned his friend. Kira shook his head,

"It is probably just a battle plan Duo. No computer can access our Gundam's computers from this far away. Besides, he's not even connection to anything." He said from behind his book. Duo frowned at Kira,

"And you seem to be doing a lot of ready there Kira…" he noted, slightly worried that he was the only one not doing something constructive. Kira smiled,

"I've been gone two years Duo. This is a current events history text book." He looked up at Duo, "I want to know what happened after I left."

Duo nodded. He could see where that could be useful. It would tell them the full story behind the massacres in the colonies. Duo shuddered at the thought of what they had seen on the colony. That would be with him for the rest of his life, no doubt about it. He sat down at the dining table that the other two were sat at and kicked his feet up, resting them on the other empty seat across the table from him. He pulled his cap forwards over his eyes and sighed,

"Well… I'm going to get some shut eye." He said before closing his eyes. Sleep came easily enough after the long battle they'd had and the journey to the colony. As soon as his thoughts drifted to the colony the ghostly face of the body that had fallen on top of him flashed in his mind suddenly and violently. Duo opened his eyes and rolled off of the two chairs on reflex. He hit the floor hard and his mind snapped back to reality. Kira and Heero were peering down at him with confused expressions. Duo smiled and laughed a little at the scenario,

"Sorry guys. Nightmare." He said while he got up off the floor. Heero nodded and went back to his work but Kira smiled at Duo,

"You were only asleep for a minute or two Duo." He said, amused before returning to the text book. Duo nodded slowly,

"Yeah… how odd to have a nightmare so early on in sleep…" he said with a sigh. Kira nodded from behind his book,

"Yup. That's weird." He agreed. Both Duo and Kira were surprised however when Heero spoke,

"It's hardly surprising though." He said without even slowly down in his typing, "We've all seen something on that colony that was very traumatic. It's going to be hard to go to sleep without nightmares. For any of us."

Duo frowned,

"Are you saying that even you'll get nightmares about…" he gulped when he realized that he physically couldn't describe what they'd seen, "…that?"

Heero stopped typing but didn't look up, clearly in deep thought. He suddenly started typing again,

"No." he said, his fingers once again becoming a blur of movement. Kira frowned but Duo nodded with a sly smile,

"Alright then Heero. I'll try it your way." He said before closing his eyes and concentrating hard. Kira's frown deepened,

"What are you two talking about?" he asked. Duo opened one eyes with a smile,

"We isolate the memories Kira. We cut them off from the rest of our memories so we only remember 'it' when we want to." He said before closing his eye again. Kira was a bit taken aback,

"And you guys can do that at will?" he asked. Heero nodded,

"When we were sent down to Earth with our first Gundams we needed to be prepared, in the eventuality that we were captured. It was a technique to stop us from giving up the secrets of the Gundams even under torture." He informed a startled Kira without stopping his typing. Duo interrupted Kira's train of thought though,

"Done." He told them both before lying back on the floor. A few seconds later Duo was sleeping peacefully. Kira smiled in amazement,

"Could you teach me that Heero?" he asked. Heero stopped typing and closed the laptop. He looked up at Kira with a small smile,

"Sure. Now take a deep breath… you'll need it."

Tom stood next to Cagali in front of the shuttle's doors. The doors issued a small amount of smoke before opening gracefully. A woman stood in the doorway; she wore a pink military uniform that was only a shade lighter than her vibrantly pink hair. She looked down from the top of the shuttle's ramp with distain at Cagali. Cagali was dressed in her ceremonial white military attire but she also wore a scowl that was obviously aimed at Flay. Flay smiled suddenly at Tom, as if finally noticing him standing there in his black and silver uniform,

"How nice to see you Commander Grayson! Its been a long time since we last saw each other hasn't it?" she asked him happily. Tom nodded,

"It has General Allster. I believe we last saw each other in person at the battle of Berlin. If memory serves your squadron left the area before the battle was over." He spoke in a polite manner but there was no mistaking the barbed comment veiled thinly in his words. It was simple enough, 'You're a coward. I don't take orders from cowards.'

Flay picked up on the message and scowled at both of them as Cagali fought to keep herself from laughing. Flay turned away from them and nodded. At least twenty soldiers dressed in black uniforms ran out of the shuttle and formed a neat line. Flay walked up and down alongside the line,

"These men are-"

"Death troopers" Tom said before she could finish. Flay looked at him, clearly annoyed by the interruption,

"These men are Death troopers assigned to my direct command. They have their own transport ship with their living quarters and mobile suits onboard." She smiled at Tom, "But I will, of course, need to have suitable living quarters. Perhaps yours is free Commander?"

Tom was about to answer when Cagali spoke up,

"His quarters are a double quarter for the both of us." She said defiantly. Flay smiled,

"Well then… more room for me." she said with a grin. Tom put a hand on Cagali's shoulder to keep her from attacking Flay,

"It will be arranged General Allster." He said politely. Flay nodded approvingly,

"Good. Dismiss the troopers would you Commander?" she said offhand as she walked out of the hanger. Cagali waited until she was sure Flay was gone before spitting at the floor,

"God… I hate that woman! She's so full of her own self importance!" she fumed. Tom nodded silently while Cagali continued to rage on, "I mean god! She's never even stuck around in a battle long enough to cheat and let the mobile doll system control her suit!"

Tom nodded in agreement,

"She's definitely no soldier, that's for damn sure." Tom smiled at Cagali before turning to the ten Death Troopers. He frowned, "What is you objective in attaching your squadron to my ship?"

The lead trooper, an ensign with at least some seniority spoke up,

"Our objective is to capture the two pilots that were found with Kira Yamato. Intelligence has suggested that they may have emerged from a similar portal to the one that brought the first mobile dolls to our universe sir." He answered curtly. Tom nodded,

"That is all. Dismissed."

Heero sat at the edge of the bridge with Kira and Duo. He still had his laptop open and was tapping away at the keys quickly and efficiently when the doors opened and a pilot walked in. He was wearing a pilot's space suit with red being the primary color. Heero watched as he approached. Heero was the only one that was awake out of the three pilots in the corner. Kira and Duo were both soundly asleep. The pilot walked up to Heero,

"Hello. I am Captain Shinn Asuka." He said and held out a hand for Heero to shake. Heero took the hand but used it as an anchor while he pulled himself to his feet. He nodded to Shinn,

"Thanks. My name is Heero Yuy. I am the pilot of the Wing Zero." He said, putting his laptop away. Shinn smiled,

"The Wing Zero being the white one yes?" he asked. Heero's eyes narrowed as he jumped to the correct conclusion,

"You were in my Gundam." He said. It was a statement, not a question. Shinn nodded with a knowing smile,

"Yes I was. And I must say… hacking into your own Gundam wirelessly so you can upgrade the OS is quite a feat." He said slyly. Heero didn't move. Shinn nodded, "Don't worry about it. I locked the cockpit after I left. It needs to be opened from the inside now and only your laptop has the ability to open it now."

Heero nodded slowly at Shinn,

"You must have some knowledge of mobile suits yourself if you know how to do that." He observed. Shinn chuckled,

"More than my fair share I'd say." He mused, "I'm currently using an older Gundam model while mine is in for repairs."

Heero nodded to Shinn and motioned for him to come closer as he opened his laptop again,

"I was in a fight with a black and silver mobile suit back near the colony and I noticed that my OS and combat computer needed updating. I'm updating the OS now if you have any suggestions from your universe." He said as he continued as if Shinn wasn't even there; let alone looking over his shoulder. Shinn only made one comment,

"Add in the calibrations for the ship destroying sword that the Strike uses." He suggested. Heero frowned for a moment,

"You think it best to use the large sword instead of the beam sword?" he asked Shinn. Shinn shook his head,

"No. Attached the two together so that the beam sword's blade in just in front of the ship destroyer." He said. Heero nodded,

"To give the beam sword extra weight and therefore extra power." Noted Heero. Shinn simply nodded. Heero nodded once again,

"Thanks Shinn." He said simply. Shinn smiled and patted him on the back,

"No problem mate." He said before walking over to a sleeping Kira. He kicked him in the side once until the pilot was awake. Shinn smiled down at Kira, "Get up ensign Yamato. You have canteen duty while we fly back to base."

Kira groaned and let his head flop back down to the floor,

"God… I only just now remember the advantages of not being in the military…"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

**Notice: ****For anyone wondering… I won't be changing the disclaimer or the warning. It's just easier this way :P**

Into the Fray without hesitation, only resignation

Duo sighed as he tapped away at the keyboard on his lap. He took a sip from a cup floating near his head without his hands leaving the keys. The screen flashed red once and he swore,

"God damn it… the system isn't even advanced enough to let me access the CCU from outside…" he complained to one of the mechanics that was floating around the right leg of the Deathscythe, welding any and all damaged parts. The mechanic chuckled,

"Well no, not in that area of the suit. We can re-write the OS from outside the machine but the CCU isn't the main focus for us in this universe. We just make standard machines but the OS is what makes the machine tick." He said before checking up on how the Deathscythe's main CPU was accepting the new armour on the leg. It seemed normal, obviously the neo titanium was compatible with the original armour of the suit. The mechanic sighed,

"This has been bugging me kiddo… who built your Gundam again?" he asked while he welded extra support to the repaired leg. Duo didn't look up but chuckled,

"I told you man. I don't know his name. Just that he was a doctor and that he knew what he was doing when it came to building a superior suit." He said, still frustrated with the different level of technology in this universe. The mechanic frowned,

"You say he knew what he was doing? Then why didn't he use phase shift armour?" he asked. Duo looked up at the use of this unfamiliar term,

"Phase shift armour? What's that?" he asked. The mechanic looked up, a little surprised,

"It's the armour the Strike uses. It's only visible because it uses lots of primary colours when it activates. When activated it gives the armour a boost in strength. It's the main strength of the Strike." He explained. Duo was interested now and he cast aside his laptop, forgetting it almost immediately,

"It increases the strength of the armour without needing a new coat of armour?" he asked, his interest peeked. The mechanic nodded in confusion. Duo smiled and walked over to the Strike, "I'm guessing that the Phase Shift capability is just some sort of coating that's activated by electricity, correct?"

The mechanic slowly frowned as realisation dawned on him,

"Are you thinking about coating your Gundams with the Phase Shift alloy?" he asked. Duo tapped the side of his nose with his index finger,

"Got it in one." He said with a smile. The mechanic shook his head,

"How do you expect to get that much of the alloy? Let alone put it inside think enough paint to keep it together in intense heat." He pointed out as he mentally thought about how much of the alloy would need to be made up in batches of paint sprayers. Duo shook his head,

"This is a big ship… it has its own chemistry lab doesn't it?" he asked as he took out a knife and pushed up from the floor to latch onto the Strike's chest. The mechanic shook his head once again in disbelief,

"Well yeah but how does that help this situation?" he asked, obviously even more confused than he had been at the start. Duo smiled as he scraped off a small patch of the top layer of paint of the Strike,

"I can analyse this sample and create a batch big enough to coat the torsos of both the Wing Zero and the Deathscythe within the hour if we have the right chemicals." He said with a smile before kicking off from the Strike and floating over towards a corridor that lead into the heart of the ship,

"It'll never work! You're wasting your time!" called out the mechanic as he watched Duo float away. Duo laughed,

"Then at least I'll have something to do with myself! I'm bored out of my wits here!"

Tom sighed as he looked out of the bridge's huge command window. The infinite stretches of space loomed outside the thickened glass, the sea of blackness and stars only interrupted by the bulk of a silver space colony. The colony was hanging peacefully enough in the blackness but if Tom strained his eyes he could just make out the shape of the rebel ship, making its way straight for the colony. Officer Tradle stood by Tom's side and coughed to get his attention,

"Sir… perhaps they are only going to the colony to mourn? After all the colony has been…" he paused as he found the willpower to spit out the government approved opinion, "…purified, sir."

Tom nodded but tapped the shoulder of one crewman who was sat at a bank of computers,

"Ensign. Bring up an enlarged image of the colony's hanger bay." He ordered and watched as one section of the glass window was taken up by a video display. The display showed nothing out of the ordinary for a colony hanger bay door. The doors were closed tight, the usually slogan printed on them in tall, red markings, the docking lights flashed green and the beam cannon turrets were limp in their housing. Officer Tradle shrugged,

"Seems perfectly normal to me sir." He noted. Tom shook his head and took out a laser pointer. He ringed the two flashing docking lights just above the doors,

"The docking lights are flashing green Officer Tradle, the universal sign that the hanger bay has enough space to accommodate the oncoming ship." He explained. Tradle frowned,

"So…" he said, still not understanding quite where the younger man was coming from. Tom rolled his eyes,

"The docking lights are only turned on when there are people alive to turn them one Officer Tradle." He said with a thin smile, "We've followed the rebel ships and they've led us straight to one of their bases. The abandoned colony, Junius 34, is not abandoned. It is the hiding place for one section of the CLF rebels."

Officer Tradle gasped and hit himself on the head with the palm of his hand,

"Damn! Sorry sir, for not noticing this myself." He said humbly. Tom smiled and patted the older man on the shoulder,

"Don't worry about it Tradle." He said reassuringly before turning round to walk back to his captain's chair. He stopped when he saw Flay Allster reclining in his chair, her legs slung over one of the arms as she dozed, looking up at the ceiling. Tom bit his lip and only coughed politely instead of shouting at her. Flay opened her eyes as if she'd really been asleep and smiled pleasantly at Tom,

"Ah Commander. I must say… your chair is very comfortable. I think… it'll be my chair from now on." She said with a certain smug look before going back to staring at the ceiling. Tom bit his lip even harder,

"I trust you heard General Allster." He said, changing the subject quickly, "We are arriving at Junius 34, a base of the CLF it appears."

Flay giggled to herself and looked at Tom as if looking at a five year old who'd just tried to say something smart,

"Well of course it is silly. Why'd you think me and my troops hitched a ride?" she smirked at him, "Your ship was merely the workhorse to get my death troopers here safely."

Tom was furious but he kept his cool on the surface, Tradle did not however,

"How dare you misuse this ship like this?! This ship is the pride of the armada! We are a war vessel no a-!" he was stopped before he could finish however by a gunshot. The bullet tore straight into his shoulder and came out the back, burying itself in the floor. Tom reacted on instinct and drew his own pistol before he was even fully aware that Tradle had been shot. He saw the death trooper who'd fired the shot at Tradle and loosed a shot of his own. The death trooper's pistol went flying across the room along with the man's index finger.

The man screamed in agony and clutched at his hand. The crewmen had rushed to Tradle's aid but some of them had drawn their pistols and were pointing them at the troopers. The death troopers had their own pistols out by now and a stalemate was reached. If one side showed any sign of opening fire then the other side shot. Flay giggled in her chair again as the two men wailed in agony,

"Well, well… I wondered if someone would force my hand like that." She mused, almost to herself but not quite. Tom was calm and cool even in this situation,

"Oh? And what were you holding?" he asked, keeping up the display of card game puns. Flay giggled,

"You always did know how to joke around in a crisis Tom. That's what I liked about you in Berlin." She said with a smile. Tom didn't move a muscle, his concentration still focused on the shootout that could erupt at any moment,

"Well? A joker or something?" he asked light heartedly, oblivious to the fact that at least three of the ten guns of the troopers were pointed straight at him. Flay giggled again,

"No, no. A ten. Ten death armed death troopers to be exact." She said while she twirled a strand of her hair in her fingers, "They're here to make sure that I stay in command. On Field Marshal Donegal's orders."

Tom twitched when she mentioned orders from a higher command,

"Prove it." He said simply. Flay pouted,

"You don't believe me Tom?" she asked. Tom scoffed,

"Not with a toothpick." He confirmed. Flay scowled but pulled out a small recording device from her uniform. She pressed the play button and field marshal Donegal's voice boomed out,

'_This is a message for Commander Tom Grayson. I have sent General Allster to your ship to personally make sure that the purification of the Junius 34 colony is carried out to the letter. Once in the area directly around the colony General Allster takes full command of your ship. You will answer to her and her alone. I hereby give her the authority to make sure that her orders are carried out. By any means. Let me repeat Commander Grayson. This is __**a direct order**__ to do __**exactly**__ as General Allster commands you to do. You will __**not**__ undermine her authority in __**anyway**__.'_

Flay clicked the off button with a self satisfied smile,

"I hope the message was clear enough for you Commander Grayson. It is a direct order to follow my commands to the letter." Her smile grew as she saw Tom twitch slightly, "Now tell your crew to lower their weapons and get back to their posts."

Tom stood stock still, not moving an inch, breathing as little as possible. The crewmen behind him began to get nervous. The commander didn't ever freeze during a potentially dangerous situation. Flay frowned,

"I said tell them to stand down. That's an order commander!" she shouted at him. The clarification of the order seemed to snap Tom out of his trance. He lowered his pistol slowly,

"Back to your designated stations…" he said in a whisper. The crewmen nodded and put their weapons away before sitting down at their positions. Tradle was still twitching in pain on the floor and the navigations officer was trying to tend to his wound. Flay scowled at Tradle on the floor,

"I said send your crewmen back to their stations Commander Grayson." She said coldly. Tom nodded to the navigations officer who went back to his post. Tom knelt down to Tradle's side when Flay spoke again, "No use taking him to the infirmary. He's dead weight to us now. We'd only waste valuable medical materials."

Tom helped Tradle into a sitting position regardless,

"This man is my first officer, I must make sure that-"

"He's your first officer?!" Flay shouted across the bridge at Tom. Tom bit his lip and looked down at Tradle's injury, "This is my ship now Commander Grayson and don't you ever forget it! Now I said not to take him to the infirmary!"

Tom twitched uncomfortably,

"But I can't just leave him lying in pain on the floor of the bridge!" he shouted back at her. Flay grinned with a malicious glint in her eye,

"You're right of course Commander Grayson. We can't have a wounded man on bleeding all over the floor of the bridge!" she said with the same look in her eye. Tom nodded,

"Thank you for agreeing Gener-"

"Kill him." She said, her grin growing in size. Everyone in the room looked at her in appalled surprise except the death troopers. Tom shook his head,

"You cannot be serious Gener-"

"I said kill him god damn it!" she growled at him, "Do I have to spell it out for you soldier boy?! I order you to kill him!"

Tom froze in horror. The crewmen looked at him with anxiety, it was well known that Commander Grayson had never disobeyed a direct order before. He'd manoeuvred around some really terrible orders on technicality long enough to avoid carrying them out but never had he disobeyed a direct order. Tradle knew this as well and looked straight up at his commander, his eyes pleading for his life. Tom looked back up at Flay. She scowled at him again,

"That's an order commander Grayson! Shoot that man dead where he lies!" she shouted at him. Tom slowly turned his head to look down at Tradle. He slowly straightened his legs and stood up. Tradle started to whimper,

"Sir… please… no…" he stuttered. Tom pulled his pistol out and flicked the safety off. He pointed it down at Tradle. He took a deep breath,

"Don't die like that Tradle. Die like a soldier." He said quietly. Flay watched in acute interest as Tradle nodded and saluted his commander. Before the salute was over Tom shot the pistol once, ending his first officer's life with a single bullet to the heart. Tradle's hand didn't move from the side of his head as fresh blood gushed out of the new bullet hole. Flay smiled while the rest of the crew looked down at their shoes,

"Excellent. Now get two of your men to-"

"I killed him." Tom interrupted as he put his pistol away, "I killed him, and it was me alone. I will carry him to the air lock and give him the proper final farewell for a first officer of the Earthian space forces."

He stooped down and lifted Tradle's lifeless body up of the floor. Flay giggled,

"You military men and your silly traditions."

Heero shuffled along in the lunch line in the canteen, his mood foul. He'd been in the middle of some complete reprogramming of the Zero's OS when his traitorous stomach told him it needed a break for food. So he wasn't angry at anyone but rather at his own stomach.

As he slowly marched down in the line he saw Kira standing on the other side of the counter, giving out slabs of meat and some mixed vegetables. When Heero reached Kira's station the younger boy just sighed and gave Heero his meal. Heero nodded at Kira before moving over to an empty table to eat on his own. Unfortunately his solace was interrupted as Duo came running over to his table,

"Heero! Hey Heero!" he shouted before sitting down across the table from Heero, "I've done it Heero! I've managed to mix up a batch of phase shift particles big enough to coat the torso of the Deathscythe and the torso of the Zero! And we even get to keep the original colour scheme for an added surprise."

Heero had to admit that he hadn't thought Duo capable of achieving such a feat by himself but gave his friend a rare smile,

"Well since you've told me your project I think it's fair I tell you mine." He took a bite of the meat and swallowed before continuing, "I've been remotely upgrading the OS for both the Zero and the Deathscythe."

Duo's face changed immediately from a happy one to an outraged one,

"You've been messing around with my mobile suit's OS?!" he screamed across the table. Heero nodded calmly,

"The Deathscythe's reaction time has been improved dramatically and I've lifted the limiter on the speed of the thrusters, for both the scythe and the suit itself." He explained in a calm and considerate manner. Duo sat down slowly,

"You're just lucky that I know you know what you doing. Cus if it was anyone else who'd messed with my Deathscythe I'd mess them up." He said bitterly before stealing one of Heero's carrots, "So… did you upgrade the Strike as well?"

Heero looked up from his dinner, not at Duo but at Kira. He watched the younger pilot give the crew their food before speaking,

"No. His suit is just too old now." He shook his head, "It can't be upgraded anymore because the parts are too old."

Duo nodded gravely,

"And there's only one way to prove to a Gundam pilot that their machine needs to be replaced." He mused. Heero nodded in agreement,

"He needs to lose it."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Peace, serenity and genocide

Tom swayed slightly as he carried Tradle's limp body through the corridors of the ship. Crewmen who hadn't been present gasped and recoiled in horror at the sight of the broken body of their first officer. They watched as an equally broken man carried the corpse, his eyes glazed over with moistness but refusing to form tears.

Tom's feet began to get gradually heavier as he slowly made his way to the vacuum ejector. He breathed in and out deeply and regularly, keeping himself under control. He would not let his emotions get the better of him. He was a soldier. He'd mastered himself years ago, he didn't need the comfort of tears or the embrace of someone who cared. He needed to follow his orders. He needed to be a soldier, not a man.

He reached the edge of the vacuum ejector and looked through the glass into the small, cupboard sized space. He looked down and saw the retractable table poking out from the glass. He slowly settled Tradle's stiffening body onto the cold, metal table and pushed a button. The table retracted, taking Tradle with it as it slid through to the other side of the glass.

Tom pressed his forehead against the cold, smooth surface of the glass. His fingers fumbled at the release switch and he hesitated. He was looking directly into the eyes of his dead friend. The closest thing he had to a friend on this ship who wasn't Cagali. He felt the moisture threaten to burst forth in the form of tears then but blinked rapidly until the feeling past. He gently pushed the button. The opposite wall of the cupboard-like room opened up completely and Tradle's body was sucked out into the vacuum of space in an instant.

Tom only realized that he was saluting the now floating corpse when his hair brushed against his hair. He nodded slightly; at least one part of him had remembered that this was a military burial, instead of betraying him like the rest by caving in to emotions. He took another deep breath as the vacuum ejector's exterior door closed, letting the last glimpse of first officer Tradle linger in Tom's mind.

Murrue swore to herself as the alarms sounded up and down the ship. She stood up from her chess game with Shinn and they both headed to the door. The door opened and they marched down the corridors towards the bridge at a swift pace. When they reached the bridge they were greeted by a hive of activity.

There were crewmen at their stations pushing buttons and flicking switches as well as shouting through radios at other people either on the ship or in the colony. Others were scurrying around with messages to give to certain people or absolutely no purpose what so ever. At the heart of it all was Andrew Waltfeld, who was stand in front of the captain's chair, shouting orders,

"What the hell is going on?! Someone give me a status report!" he frowned as another ringing was added to the mash up of noises, "And someone answer the god damn phone!"

Murrue and Shinn made their way up to Andrew and stood there waiting for him to see them. When it became obvious that Andrew was much too busy to see them Shinn coughed,

"Commander Waltfeld?" he asked over the constant buzz of noise. Andrew looked down at them,

"Well look who decided to show up. What is it Shinn?" he asked, shooing away some of the crewmen in favor of listening to what Shinn had to say. Shinn cleared his throat,

"What's happening Andrew? Is the ship under attack?" he asked as he watched many of the crewmen run around panicking. Andrew nodded,

"The earth forces ship we helped the pilots escape from has found us and the colony. It is likely that if the colony sends us help that they will realize that it has been repopulated and that means they'll seek to massacre its populous." He sighed, a show of the mounting pressure he was being put under, "To put it in short form… the enemy is going to attack us and we cannot endanger the colony by calling for assistance. We're technically on our own."

Shinn bit his tongue and watched as Murrue walked away from the two of them to order some of the crewmen around, bringing order back to the troubled bridge slowly. When the entire bridge was calm again Murrue walked back to them,

"Commander Waltfeld, I have some bad news." She sighed before continuing, "The enemy have sent out at least sixty Virgo suits. All expected to be mobile dolls. They've formed up around the Strike Rouge IWSP and the… the Respite."

Andrew frowned deeply,

"We have enough pilots and Deep Arms to hold off the Virgos and four Gundams at our disposal. Shouldn't be too hard. Hell the Zero and the Deathscythe could fight the Respite together." He smiled a little, "But that isn't the end of the update is it?"

Murrue shook her head,

"The crew have informed us that both the Deathscythe and the Zero are in the middle of upgrades. They will be unable to fight until the upgrades are completed." She said with a downwards glance. Waltfeld swore and ran his fingers through his hair,

"How many Deep Arms do we have?" he asked with a sigh. Murrue looked at a clipboard,

"Forty Deep Arms mobile suits, the Strike and Shinn's temporary suit while the Impulse is in for repairs." She read off the list. Waltfeld looked up at Shinn,

"What is your temp then Shinn?" he asked, slightly hopeful once again. Shinn shook his head,

"I've got the remade Blitz. I agreed to give it its first test flight since being reassembled." He said with a sigh. An action that was mirrored by Waltfeld,

"And how long will the updates on the Zero and the Deathscythe take?" he asked, his eyes closed. Heero spoke up from the bridge's doorway, shocking everyone present,

"In just under thirty minutes." He declared, not looking at any of the people on the bridge, still typing away on his laptop. Waltfeld nodded gravely before reaching a decision,

"Send out the Deep Arms and have them keep the Virgos off our backs for as long as possible. Have the Strike take on the Respite." Shinn winced visibly at this assignment for the Strike but Waltfeld continued, "And the Blitz will engage the Rouge. Move people!"

Flay smiled as she looked out of the bridge's main viewing screen. She'd had an insubordinate officer shot, had broken the unstoppable Tom Grayson and told him into her lap dog with a faked recording and best of all… she was about to commence in her favorite sport. Her lips curled up into a cruel smile,

"Destroy the ship and its crew so we can begin our assault on the colony! Not one co-ordinators must escape! Kill them all and take no prisoners!" she declared to the crew of the bridge. They all cowered under her glare and the wandering gun sights of the two death troopers positioned behind her. She turned her head to her left and saw Tom standing there in his space suit, obviously ready for battle. He walked up to her,

"I'm ready for battle General Allster. What are my objectives?" he asked, not bothering to look at anyone or anything other than the wall opposite him. Flay giggled,

"Sorry Tom but you've been replaced." She said absently. Tom blinked twice and looked down at her in disbelief,

"I beg your pardon Ma'm?" he asked, confused. Flay giggled again,

"You have been replaced. The Z1 is being piloted by a mobile doll syst-"

"You used my mobile suit?!" he demanded of her, slamming his fists angrily onto the arm of the captain's chair, causing Flay to leap out of the chair with a pathetic noise of fear. The two death troopers both pointed their guns at him but Tom was too angry to notice, "How dare you use my mobile suit! That suit is mine!"

Flay growled at Tom, her anger stemming from the very idea that he would attempt to attack her,

"That mobile suit is military property Commander Grayson and so falls under this ship's command. And as we both know this is MY ship!" she screamed at him, drawing her service revolver in rage. Tom growled,

"You are a stupid little girl, not a soldier! Put that gun away before you kill yourself with it you moronic bitch!" he shouted at her, shocking her in lowering her gun, "That mobile suit is a privately built suit! I built that suit with no help or money from the military! You have absolutely no authority or right to take that suit from my command!"

Flay shook her head, her anger overcoming her shock at his attitude,

"You're lying! That suit is military property!" she screamed, her resolve absolute. One of the death troopers walked up to her and whispered into her ear. She looked at him in disbelief before slapping him around the face, "Get back to your post!"

Flay was visibly shaking with rage now. Tom let a small smile dawn on his face,

"Finally figured out that I'm right and that you're wrong?" he asked with a patronizing tone to his voice. Flay spat at him and pointed a quivering finger in his direction,

"Shut up! I order you to be quiet!" she screamed at him. Tom shuddered on the spot for a moment, obviously not wanting to obey the order. She frowned as he struggled internally with the order. Tom opened his mouth with visible effort and tried to make a sound. The crew watched in amazement as no sound escaped from Tom's mouth, despite his obvious effort and determination to voice his opinion. Tom's mouth quivered in the open position as he fought to disobey the order. In the end though his mouth clamped shut violently with an audible, _Sna_p!. Flay smiled in triumph,

"Now take a seat next to the observation screen and watch this battle! This is how a real battle should be fought! With humans and mobile dolls!" her lips curled into a disgusted snarl as she looked down at Tom, "Not by CO-ORDINATOR SCUM!"

The crew looked over at their Commander in disbelief. The man they had served under for so long with the sheer purpose of killing co-ordinators and putting an end to the rebellion that supported them. He was something they had all sworn to destroy the day they entered the military. As they regarded the broken man sitting in the chair the realization dawned on them. Commander Tom Grayson wasn't human. He was one of them. He was a co-ordinator.

Kira floated towards the Strike, his helmet in his hand. He looked around at the mechanics working on the last preparations for the Strike, nodding or shaking his head when needs be. On one of his random looks around the hanger he saw both Duo and Heero sitting on one of the grated platforms. Heero was tapping away at his laptop and Duo was tinkering with a can of spray paint. They both seemed to be intensely focused on the jobs in hand but Kira could feel their gaze on his body as something resembling a physical weight.

He shuddered under the continued secret look and grabbed hold of one of the handles on the torso of the Strike. He steadied his breathing and looked into the familiar, welcoming cockpit. He looked back up at Duo and Heero to see them both staring at him openly. Kira gave them a small wave, expecting at least Duo to grin down at him. There was no reaction from either of them. Kira shook his head to clear it of persisting thoughts of the two other Gundam pilots as he put his helmet on.

He gave the two pilots one last glance before floating into the cockpit of the Strike. He eased himself into the comfortable chair and rested his hands on the controls, feeling the Strike. Every pump of the fuel flowing through its system, every tick of its CCU and even the almost silent buzz of the sensors. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply and calmly. When he opened them again he was greeted by the sight of the Strike's internal screens. Obviously the mechanics had closed the cockpit. The screens flickered into life and all around him in the cramped space Kira was aware of the squads of Deep Arms mobile suits flying out of the hanger bay. He nodded and the Strike's thrusters burst into life, sending the white suit soaring out into the abyss of space. Past the lines of waiting Deep Arms it flew, past the two other pilots on the grated platform, past the doors of the hanger bay and straight into battle.

Kira's nostrils flared as he flung the Strike straight into combat. The buster rifle fired twice and two Virgo suits exploded in twin explosions of fire and shrapnel. The Strike's thrusters flared brightly and it nipped down in its course, following a squad of Virgo's sticking to their rear as he picked them off one at a time with the Strike's buster rifle. Just as the last Virgo exploded however a massive beam of yellowish energy cut in front of the Strike. Kira struggled to keep the Strike under control and barely managed to avoid taking damage from the shot.

The Strike looked up and Kira recoiled in horror as he saw the black and silver suit come flying down at him, beam sword flaring. Kira engaged the Strike's thrusters and the white suit flung itself forwards at an unstable speed. The black suit changed direction flawlessly and followed the Strike. Kira swore and spun the Strike in its flight. The black suit followed effortlessly, not even bothering to attack the Deep Arms that were firing pot shots at it from behind and to the sides.

Realization dawned on Kira as he flew straight through a fight between a Virgo and a Deep Arms. The black suit's pilot, the one who'd matched Heero and the Zero system, was not inside the suit. If he had been then Kira would already be dead. It was a mobile doll controlling the black suit!

Kira turned the Strike round and he flung the buster rifle aside. He drew the Strike's knife with one hand and the beam sword with another. Kira gritted his teeth as he flung the Strike into a collision coarse with the black suit. He would not be beaten by a mere machine with an advanced OS! HE WOULD NOT LOSE!

The Strike and the Respite collided in mid flight before breaking off from each other to begin exchanging a huge number of strikes and slashes with their melee weapons. The Strike wasn't as fast or as strong as the Respite so Kira had to force himself to think outside the box, to outthink the dimwitted machine operating the other suit. The Strike dipped down to the left side and struck at the Respite with both knife and sword. The Respite's advantage in strength and speed came into play and the beam sword was swung up with breath taking speed, blocking both the knife and the beam sword.

Kira swore and the Strike threw away the partially melted knife and gripped the beam sword with both hands. He roared as he pushed the Strike forwards once again, slashing and maneuvering in the most imaginative ways he could think of.

Duo looked up at Heero on the grated platform above him. He was attached the torso of the Wing Zero by a tether as he sprayed the special layer of paint onto the torso of the white and blue suit. The spray looked exactly the same color as the original armor of the Strike. Truth be told Duo had changed the formula of the Phase Shift particles so that the spray would actually be totally colorless. This meant that the Phase Shift armor would be effective not only as an added layer of protection but also as a surprise for the enemy. He licked his lips nervously,

"How's Kira holding up out there?" he asked his friend. Heero continued to tap away on his laptop but pulled up another screen as he typed. This screen was a video file and it showed the battle between the Strike and the Respite live from a camera on the hull of the Traverse. Heero minimized the window,

"He is fighting a mobile doll inside the black suit. He has a greater chance but there is no doubt about the eventual outcome. Kira Yamato will fall in battle this day." He said with a definitive tone to his voice. Duo shook his head as he finished spraying the Zero. He smiled when he was finished and threw the empty can away. He kissed one of the dried parts of the torso that was within reached,

"A true masterpiece!" he declared with a smile. He rubbed his hands together roughly before putting them on his hips. He'd done what the lead mechanic had said was impossible. Not only had he made enough of the Phase Shift particles to coat the torsos of both suits but he'd also finished applying it before the battle was over. He unhooked himself from the tether and floated up to Heero. Heero nodded at Duo,

"Finished already Duo?" he asked in an offhanded manner as his fingers once again blurred in the flurry and speed of their movements. Duo nodded mutely as he watched Heero's finger glide gracefully yet speedily across the keyboard, not making a single mistake, never touching either the backspace key or the delete key in the entire process. He snapped himself out of the trance he'd entered slowly,

"How long until the OS for the Deathscythe is complete?" he asked as he sat down next to Heero with a water bottle in his hand. Heero sighed,

"I'm working on both the OS for the Deathscythe and the OS for the Zero at the same time so…" he thought for a moment, "Maybe ten minutes more."

Duo nodded and watched as Heero went back to typing. He sighed as an explosion rocked the entire ship,

"I just don't feel right Heero. I mean we're just sat in here and Kira and Shinn are fighting for their lives…" he sighed again, "It stinks."

Heero nodded in agreement,

"Yes it does but if we go out with even one line of the OS uncompleted then we'd be sitting ducks." He said with a sigh of his own. Duo smiled faintly as a thought came to him,

"So how do you think our universe is going?" he asked Heero, lying onto his back to relax even more. Heero stopped typing and smiled mildly,

"I don't know Duo but I do know… Reliena will keep it nice and peaceful for our return." He said with a note of admiration before continuing his typing. Duo smiled and wagged a finger at Heero,

"Getting a bit attached aren't you Heero? Wasn't it your job to be a personal bodyguard to Reliena? Feelings towards her could confuse your instincts in battle." He said while playing with the large braid that was his hair. Heero smiled,

"Why'd you think I requested a transfer to the moon base Duo?" he smiled his customary tiny smile, "We got involved with each other in a way that was seen as inappropriate for a queen and her bodyguard and so-"

"Wait what?!" Duo shouted in shock as he sat bolt upright, "Are you telling me you and Reliena…?!"

Heero nodded, his cheeks coloring ever so slightly, so slight was the color change that Duo wrote it off as a trick of the light,

"Yeah…" Heero said, confirming the unspoken question. Duo whistled and patted Heero on the back,

"Always knew you two would get together." He said with a grin, "Well there doesn't seem much point to keep it from you now but me and Hilde have been going at it for awhile now as well."

Heero nodded his head, still typing, trying to hide his embarrassment at telling someone else about himself and Reliena. Duo sniffed and Heero could tell what was going through his friend's mind,

"Don't worry Duo." He said reassuringly, the friendly tone of his voice shocking Duo, "We'll get back to them. We'll see them again."

Duo sniffed again and rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve,

"Yeah… I guess you're right."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

**Notice: ****A huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story so far, your support is a constant ray of hope for me that this series will actually turn out good. And for everyone else, who reads but doesn't review… reviews make me feel warm and tingly inside so keep em coming! **

When a mind is restrained, all hell breaks loose

Cagali shook her head as she entered battle with the Gundam Blitz. She was comfortable in the OS that Tom had written for her personally but she also knew that the Blitz was the new second choice suit for one Shinn Asuka when the Impulse was under going repairs. She swore as the missiles from underneath the Blitz's shield fired at her. The Rouge IWSP's back mounted cannons opened fire and the cluster of missiles disappeared. She pressed forwards and slammed both of the Rouge's ship destroyer swords into the shield of the Blitz's right arm. The Blitz moved back a bit and shot at her with its right arm anchor gun. The Rouge dodged to the side nimbly and the cannons flared yet again as Cagali pounded the fire trigger with her left hand.

The Blitz pulled back a bit, dodging the blasts from Cagali before firing another group of small missiles at her. Cagali engaged the Rouge's thrusters with a flick of the switch and span the suit round as the missiles tracked her movements. Even while she was evading the missiles Cagali managed to squeeze another blast off at the Blitz. The black machine dodged easily and it's beam sword ignited from behind its arm shield. Cagali swore when she saw where the battle was going. She pushed a button and the cannons ejected off of the back of the Rouge, making the machine at least half as heavy.

The Rouge and the Blitz launched themselves at each other, each with a sword of some description in hand. The Rouge delivered the first blow, slicing the anchor of the Blitz's left arm in half, causing it to explode. The Blitz danced backwards before slamming into the Rouge again, skillfully managing to maneuver the beam sword so that it cut through the handle of one of the Rouge's large, metal, swords. The Rouge head butted the Blitz to free itself and flung the broken sword away as it exploded in a huge ball of sparks and fire.

Cagali swore as she whipped her brow. She was already sweating profusely and the battle still had no determinable outcome in her eyes. She swore again and flew the Rouge into close combat again, rendering both of their swords useless. She pulled back on a lever and the Rouge's empty hand slammed into the side of the Blitz's head, crumpling the sensor array. She grinned as the head of the Blitz was racked by a small explosion. The smiled disappeared however when the Blitz used its damaged head and head butted the Rouge.

The Rouge swung its bigger sword at the Blitz and the black suit only just managed to get the smaller beam sword up in time to block the attack. The Rouge swapped tactics though and its two Vulcan guns opened fire on the Blitz from close range. The Blitz's maimed left fist came flying and it latched onto one of the Vulcan guns. With effort the Blitz crushed the machine gun in its grip. The Rouge kicked the Blitz in the torso to break free, its remaining Vulcan gun firing all the while.

Cagali shook her head as she attempted to watch all of the screens in the Rouge's cockpit. There were Deep Arms firing at her from somewhere and the Blitz was readying to attack again. She swore and flew in between the blasts from the weaker suits and charged straight at the Blitz.

Tom sat in his chair, gripping to the chair's arms desperately as he watched the Respite fighting the Strike and a group of Deep Arms. His heart was beating ten to the dozen as he watched his precious suit, in the heat of battle, under the control of a mobile doll system. It sent shivers up his spine as he watched it unfold on the screen. Flay giggled at him and pointed to a white mobile suit charging up a heavy gun in the direction of the Respite,

"Look Commander Grayson… the Strike is getting ready to fire at the Respite. I wonder if the Strike will win this battle?" she smiled as he turned ghost white, "A superior suit with a set program? Or an outdated suit with a talented and adaptable pilot?"

Tom knew the answer but he just bit his lip and gripped the arms of the chair tighter still until they threatened to snap in half. He watched, the sweat rolling over his brow as the Strike and Respite dueled with beam swords. But before the fight had even truly begun the screen refocused on the battle between the Rouge and the Blitz.

Tom stood up and walked closer to the screen, fixated on Cagali's mobile suit as it dodged missiles and bullets. Flay giggled again and the screen refocused again, this time focusing only on the Blitz. Tom looked at Flay, thoroughly confused. She giggled once again,

"Shinn is piloting the Blitz. We both know he's a better pilot and a co-ordinator. That means that Cagali's only hope is the OS you wrote for her." She smiled as she tormented him, "Is it good enough?"

Tom sat back down in his seat but found himself leaning forwards as soon as he sat down. He gripped the arms tighter, his palms sweating more and more as the pressure mounted. Flay giggled yet again and Tom shot her a dirty look. Flay looked at Tom, shocked that he'd give her such a look. Tom felt a growl build up in the very back of his throat before he could check it. Flay nodded slowly,

"So you've guessed where this is going?" she asked nervously. Tom remained silent and still, the earlier growl now nothing but a memory. The fight had once again drained out of him,

"A choice." He said dutifully. Flay smiled her cat-like smile,

"Very good Commander. Can you guess the options?" she teased with the same, catty, smile. Tom nodded numbly,

"The Respite… or Cagali." He deduced with a sniff. Flay clapped sarcastically,

"Yes! Very good! Do you want a cookie?" she teased, "Well Tom? The machine you dedicated four years of your life to? Or the woman you love?"

Tome knew that he loved Cagali but the choice was still agonizing for him. He'd started the Respite four years ago when the Gundanium transport and the Virgos had arrived in the universe. He'd grown along side it as the misfit teenager. He'd worked tirelessly on his own, day after day. He knew the machine's intricate details better than his own mind. He opened his mouth to answer slowly,

"Save… Cagali." He said with resolution. Flay frowned,

"That was quick… you're sure?" she pressed, "This means sacrificing the machine that forced you into so much debt that you had to join the army. This is the machine that you nurtured as if it were your own child."

Tom nodded. The Respite was all those things and more. It was one of the biggest parts of his life, having been his main focus in life for the past four years. Well… that wasn't strictly true. It had taken second place in the past two years to his love for Cagali. He nodded once again,

Save Cagali." He said sternly. Flay shrugged,

"Order the Rouge hold tight for a moment." She smiled Tom a smile, "And have the Respite initiate… program 1074."

Tom stood up immediately,

"You're going to-?!"

"MY SUIT! NOT YOURS!" shouted Flay, "ACTIVATE THE PROGRAM!"

Tom drew his pistol,

"BELAY THAT ORDER!" he screamed at the crew as he pointed his pistol at Flay's head. The two Death Troopers pointed their guns at him but he didn't care. Flay smiled her catty smile again,

"Fine then. Have the Virgos open fire on the Rouge!" she ordered the crewmen. Tom shot his pistol and the arm of the captain's chair broke off in a spray of plastic splinters and metal fragments,

"BELAY THAT ORDER!" he shouted at the crew. The crew, so confused by this power struggle of the higher authority, did absolutely nothing. Flay smiled,

"Good show Commander. You still have the complete loyalty of your crew despite your species." She smiled again, "But you still cannot disobey a direct order. Stand down Commander Grayson, that's a direct order."

Tom felt his arm shudder as it instinctively went to obey the order. He gritted his teeth and scrunched up his face in determination as he fought against his own instincts. He was engaged in a heated battle with a part of his own psyche that he'd only been vaguely aware of before. He felt his determination making the difference in the battle though. He was going to win… he just had to keep at-

The internal battle was over with a start as the section of Tom's psyche that had been fighting him disappeared. His arm stopped shaking but moved as if a large weight had been lifted from it. His fingers twitched and he quickly shot the two troopers before they were able to realize what had happened. Flay recoiled in horror as the twin gunshots echoed throughout the bridge, growing louder every time they echoed.

The entire crew looked at Tom in shock and horror. Tom was smiling a cruel smile that no one had ever seen on his face ever before. He looked at the crewmen and his smile became a softer one,

"Get the Virgos to form up on Cagali and protect her from the Blitz. Tell her to pull back and open the hanger bay doors for me when I'm ready to leave. Will you guys do all that for me?" he asked, somewhat afraid that they'd stick to the strict military discipline they'd been taught. One of the officers nodded and saluted,

"Right away sir. You heard the Commander!" he informed the men as he assumed the roll of first officer. Tom walked over to Flay and pulled her pistol out of its holster, meeting no resistance. Tom grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her into the captain's chair. He picked up a roll of black tape from one of the counters in the bridge and began taping Flay to the chair. When she was bond tightly to the chair Tom stood back with a smile. He knelt down beside her and moved his face close to her ear,

"Goodbye General Allster. I'm not a puppet of the military anymore. I've learnt how to act human." He smiled and patted her on the head, "Now be a good girl and don't cause any trouble."

Flay watched in silence as Tom ran away through the corridors towards the hanger bay. She growled and whistled. Five seconds later the remaining eight death troopers were filing into the room with their machine guns at the ready. She growled,

"Have the orders of Commander Grayson been carried out already?" she asked the crew. The new first officer nodded, "Then undo them, now."

The first officer drew his pistol and shot the machine to his left. The death troopers reacted quickly, firing their machine guns until her was a bloody and matted mess. The first officer fell to the floor, unquestionably dead. Flay growled,

"I can still get to him!" she shouted in rage, "INITIATE PROGRAM 1074!"

Shinn shook his head as he pressed the Blitz onwards in its attack on the Rouge. Cagali just didn't know when to quit. He flicked a switch and Vulcan guns on the Blitz's body erupted in fire as they shot thousands of bullets at the Rouge every second. The Rouge twisted away from the line of fire but Shinn pressed on, following the Rouge's every move, ready to fight with the Blitz's beam sword if she tried to fight back.

Unfortunately for Shinn a blast, from a blaster cannon, came flying at the Blitz. He pulled up on the controls and the Blitz twisted upwards and away from the blast. Shinn growled as he turned the Blitz. His screen filled with dozens of the Virgo suits, all of them focusing their intense fire on the Blitz.

The Blitz dodged in and out of the beams of fire as best it could, taking hits none the less. Each hit was accompanied by another and another until the Blitz could finally move its shield up long enough to move away. Missiles fried from under the Blitz's shield as it weaved and span to avoid the bursts of fire.

Shinn happened to look at one of his other screens and saw the Rouge and a Virgo suit firing their weapons at the enemy ship, destroying its defensive cannons. He frowned,

"What the hell…? Isn't Cagali suppose to be with that Tom guy?" he wondered aloud. His thoughts were disturbed though as Murrue's face showed up on his screen,

"Shinn! We need you to support Kira! NOW!" she screamed at him via the screen. Shinn checked another screen and saw the Strike and the Respite locked in bitter combat and it seemed that the Respite was gaining the upper hand in the battle. Shinn nodded at Murrue,

"Don't worry. I'll get there as soon as I can get past these Virgos." He said before closing the screen with Murrue on it. He refocused all his attention on the battle ahead of him and lurched the Blitz forwards, its beam sword already swinging and slashing into the torsos and heads of the Virgo units.

The Blitz's thrusters blasted more than usual and the great black suit went soaring straight into one of the Virgo suits. The Blitz's slashed downwards with its beam sword before kicking off from the doomed Virgo before it exploded in a huge ball of flame and metal fragments. The Blitz blasted off into the next target, not even bothering to use its sword this time, only shooting the Virgo to pieces with its concealed Vulcan guns.

Shinn laughed wildly as he shot and slashed at the Virgo suits, destroying them in their groups of twos and threes. He laughed manically when he latched the Blitz onto a Virgo suit, its legs and arms hooking around the suit, before shooting the trapped suit into metal pieces with its Vulcan guns.

The Blitz slashed at two Virgos at once, destroying them both with that one, almost careless, movement. The Blitz ducked down and grabbed the Virgo's blaster rifle before it exploded. Now armed with both blaster rifle and beam sword the Blitz jetted towards the last remaining group of Virgo suits, shooting down two of them with the stolen blaster rifle before they were even more than specks in Shinn's vision. The sword then made short work of the remaining suits, a slash here, a stab there and a head butt sword slash combo later and the last of the Virgos were gone.

Shinn let go of the controls and slumped back into his seat. His pupils were large and expressionless as he stared straight up at the ceiling of his cockpit. He breathed in and out deeply in an attempt to calm himself. But try as he might his pupils remained large and blank. He sighed and shook his head. There was nothing that could be done about it now; he'd just have to-

"SHINN! KIRA!" came Murrue's voice over the intercom. Shinn turned the Blitz round as fast as it could and faced the direction of the Strike's battle with the Respite. Only it wasn't a battle anymore.

The four wings of the Respite had shown their true nature and double jointedness by bending at impossible angles to hook around the back of the Strike and latch onto each other with some sort of seal. Shinn watched in horror as the torso of the Respite began to glow white and yellow.

The Blitz's thruster blasted straight from resting rate to maximum thrust in once second, something they weren't designed to do. The left thruster exploded under the strain and the right cut off completely. The Blitz, rendered immobile, was the only mobile suit there facing the right direction to witness the final seconds of both the Strike and the Respite.

The Respite's torso was glowing brightly now, so brightly that Shinn had to avert his eyes. Suddenly the light expanded at a huge rate, making a large globe of white light that cut off Shinn's view entirely. The resulting shockwave sent the Blitz flying at such a speed that its thruster were dislodged on its back when it slammed into the hull of the Traverse. The globe of light slowly diminished until there was suddenly no light at all. IT seemed to Shinn that even the stars had dimmed in respect for this huge event.

The Strike had come out the better of the two suits but it wasn't by much. The arms were gone completely, as was one of its legs. The other leg was a thin, skeletal version of its former self, not even a scrap of its famous armor left. Its torso was also much diminished, about half the size of its former self, nothing more than a jagged shell of white scrap metal containing what appeared to be a black box.

The Respite was now almost nothing. There was debris floating around the Strike, debris that could once have been the torso or it could have been anyone of the limbs to the great, black, machine. The head of the Respite was all that had survived, the black and silver mask looking mournful as it floated off into the abyss of nothingness that was space. The four wings were still attached to the Strike but were no long attached to anything else.

Shinn's mouth fell agape as he stared at the remains of both of the legendary machines. The Strike had been one of the most famous mobile suits of all time, seen as the forerunner for the greatest suits that were available today. The Respite had been infamous but no less famous and definitely no less a legend. The Respite had been the suit to single handedly destroy both the Justice Gundam and the Duel Gundam, but it had also been the downfall for thousands of other, nameless machines. Both had been lost and would be missed but not as much as Kira Yamato. Shinn couldn't help but shed a stray tear or two at that. Kira Yamato. The pilot to come back to the universe's aid despite all logical odds and now… now he was dead. Killed fighting for a cause he had never fully understood. Shinn bent over in his cockpit and sobbed like a child as the remains of both legendary suits floated aimlessly around in the vast emptiness of space, no somewhat more empty with the death of Kira Yamato.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

Shedding tears for a dead man

Heero was sat in the Zero's cockpit when Shinn and the Blitz docked again. He heard Duo say something to Shinn before Shinn appeared in front of the open cockpit. He watched in silence as Heero continued to check how the Zero was handling the updated OS. When he was done Heero looked straight at Shinn. Shinn showed no emotion when he spoke,

"Kira is dead." He said, feeling a large weight fall off his shoulders. Heero simply nodded,

"I know." He said simply. Shinn cocked his head,

"You knew he'd lose?" he asked, not accusingly in any way. Heero nodded,

"His Gundam needed replacing but he'd never give it up. He needed to have it taken from him." He said, still looking straight into Shinn's eyes. Shinn nodded,

"I understand but…" he shook his head, "It's still hard to accept. He and Lacus were the inspiration for this rebellion and he was assumed dead!"

Heero placed a hand on Shinn's shoulder without a word. Shinn looked at the comforting hand in confusion for a second before his emotions took control. Tears ran down his face as he grabbed onto Heero and wrapped his arms around the younger man, as if clinging on for dear life. He sobbed openly into Heero's shoulder and Heero merely patted him on the back reassuringly,

"He's gone now Shinn. And he wouldn't want you to mourn his death…" his eyes glistened like steel, "… he'd want us to finish what we started."

Shinn looked up at Heero, his eyes wet and red,

"He would?" he asked, desperately clinging to the hope that Kira **had** known what he was fighting for. Heero nodded,

"Yes. We saw what they did and it lent us strength and the determination to carry out the mission." He nodded at Shinn again, "Do his memory justice. Help us destroy Blue Cosmos."

Shinn nodded weakly and detached himself, with great effort, from Heero,

"I will. Thanks Heero." He said with one final sniff. With that sniff Shinn's face once again became the expressionless mask of a calm and collected man. He saluted Heero briefly before pushing away from the Zero and floated off towards the corridor that led to the bridge. Duo floated up with a smile,

"You may not be the most emotionally stable of the two of us but you sure know how to handle people who are overly emotional." He said with only a slight hint at irony. Heero nodded lightly,

"Well it was a simple situation in my mind. The Strike was outdated so he died." He sighed as he felt a small shiver go up the length of his spine for saying it so openly, "Although he was an alright guy to hang around with…"

"I hear ya buddy… now no one laughs at my jokes." He said with a sad smile, the attempted joke not making the situation any lighter. Heero sighed again,

"But it was bound to happen." He reasoned without much conviction, his conviction having been robbed of him by the involuntary shiver. Duo nodded dreamily,

"Shame he died with his Gundam…"

"On the contrary Duo… that is the only way for a Gundam pilot to die."

Andrew Waltfeld sighed in exasperation as at least a dozen officers came up to his chair in the middle of the bridge and began shouting their reports at him, each trying to be louder than the other. The result was a white wall of noise that paled in comparison to the little voice in Waltfeld's mind,

_You ordered him to fight the Respite._

The voice was right of course but he knew, deep down, that Kira would have attacked the Respite even if he'd been told to leave it alone. Explaining that feeling, the feeling that only two pilots could share, to a bunch of bridge officers and then, later, a disgruntled, to say the least, council of the front. He sighed but found the will power to get one with his job. He slammed his fists down onto the arms of his chair and the officers were immediately silent,

"Alright… one at a time. You first." He said reluctantly, pointing to the nearest officer,

"Sir! The enemy ship has withdrawn from the area after the Rouge and one of its spare Virgo suits swapped sides during the battle and made a break for it." He informed his Commander, subconsciously proud that it had been his report to be the first report read out. Andrew bridged his fingers together and breathed deeply in and out for a few seconds,

"I believe the two pilots of the rebellious suits to be no less than one Cagali Athha and one 'Commander' Tom Grayson." He declared, much to the shock of the officers grouped around him, "It is my opinion that they have left the Earthian forces."

The officers nodded collectively, as though they'd always agreed with Waltfeld's statement. He sighed and pointed to another officer,

"Well sir… it appears that out of the forty Deep Arms suits we sent out only eighteen have survived although we have lost two of those pilots due to the pressures of the battle and its toll." He said with an awkward air. It was hardly surprising really. After all, he'd just told the Commander and the bridge officers that they'd lost two perfectly capable pilots to madness. Andrew rubbed his eyes, they'd suddenly become sore and heavy. He pointed to another of the officers,

"The ship has only got half of its fuel capacity sir." He reported simply. Andrew nodded at him, for once thankful for such a trivial piece of news amongst all the terrible news. Another officer began without Andrew even pointing to him,

"The security of the resettled colony that we are currently stationed outside of is compromised, sir. It is deemed too late to evacuate and fly to another colony. The council also regrets to inform you that this particular colony is also currently the residence of Lacus Clyne." He said weakly. Andrew closed his eyes, surprising the officers who'd expected either an angry outburst or at least a curse or two. He sighed,

"I am aware of that. It was the reason we were traveling to this colony. So that Miss Clyne and Mr. Yamato would see each other." He sighed again, "As you all know, it has long been a standing order that if Kira Yamato is found that he should be rushed to her side."

The officers nodded sadly and cast their sad gazes down to the floor. Andrew sighed again and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be the most painful part of the briefing… he steeled himself for it,

"How bad is the damage to the Strike?" he asked, the words feeling and tasting like ashes in his mouth. The officers shuffled uncomfortably until one of them finally grew a backbone,

"Sir… the scouts report an empty cockpit in a shredded suit. The mechanics have checked it and apparently the eject button was used. Sir… ensign Yamato is believed to have died by being ejected out into space while the explosion was taking place. It is impossible that he survived." The officer said in a voice that just screamed, 'Oh god… why did I get the short straw?'

Andrew nodded slowly again, still rubbing his eyes as though they were burning inside their sockets. He sighed,

"Type it in officer Rehe. Ensign Kira Yamato… KIA." Andrew said slowly, the words somehow being more meaningful than any words he'd ever spoken. More meaningful than every time he'd reminded his loved ones that he did indeed love them. More meaningful than his pledge to Lacus to bring back Kira at all costs… well… maybe not as meaningful as the last one.

The limo pulled up silently but the crowd of reporters who'd waited for it were anything but silent. They attempted to swarm the limo but the hotel security guards earned their pay and kept them at bay. The crowd struggled against the line of security guards, a sea pf photo flashes and recording devices being held back by a thin line of red uniformed security guards.

Lacus Clyne sat on the back seat of the limo and sighed deeply. Dearka, sat a few spaces away from her, chuckled,

"You were the only one on the bridge not to panic and yet you sweat at the prospect of facing the media." He shook his head, "Silly really."

Lacus attempted a smile but her mouth only twitched vaguely. She sighed again,

"Well the battle was always going to be won." She said confidently, "I mean Shinn was in the battle and Commander Waltfeld."

Dearka raised an eyebrow,

"Missing anybody off of that list Miss Clyne?" he asked nervously. Lacus thought for a moment,

"Well… the pilots from the other universe couldn't do much…" she attempted weakly. Dearka shook his head,

"And what about Ki-?"

"That was not Kira!" she shouted blindly, momentarily loosing control of her emotions. She covered her face with her hands, "It can't have been! That would mean he was dead and he's not! HE'S NOT!"

Dearka watched her outburst with a heavy heart. He patted her weakly on the shoulder, trying to reassure her without giving her false hope. Lacus sniffed but nodded slowly,

"You're right Dearka… the people need a strong leader… now more than ever." She said resolutely, "But Kira Yamato is still alive."

Dearka sighed,

"The damage is too great. He's dead Lacus." He reasoned, having seen the Strike's close-up pictures for himself on the bridge. Lacus shook his head,

"I know he's alive Dearka." She said simply, resting her chin on her hand, "I just know it."

Dearka sighed but nodded,

"If it makes you feel better…" he said with the same heavy heart and lump in his throat. Lacus nodded resolutely,

"The truth often does Dearka. Tell the driver to open the doors would you?" she asked, using her current situation to change the subject matter of the conversation. The doors opened upwards and the crowd suddenly tried to surge forwards. The hotel guards only just succeeded in holding them back when Lacus stepped out of the limo, waving majestically to all of the reporters, a huge, dazzling smile plastered on her face,

"Hello everyone! Thank you so much for taking time to talk to me as I make my way back to my temporary home." She smiled the same false smile and walked up to the nearest reporter, "You have a question?"

"Yes Miss Lacus. Is there any truth behind the rumors of you having an explicit sex romp with a male stripper three days ago at a club in the city centre?" he asked, the grease dripping from his words as it did from his hair. Lacus still smiled but shook her head,

"Please. I've told you not to include that article as there is no element of truth to the rumor." She said with the same smile, not trusting herself to change it. The reporter was bustled out of the way and she pointed to the next one,

"Is it true that the colony is now a target for the Earthian forces?" asked the reporter. Lacus was about to answer when someone else answered for her,

"Yes it is. But it won't do them much good." Came the strong, male voice behind Lacus. She jumped in surprise and turned to see two teenagers standing behind her. The one who'd spoken was wearing jeans and a green vest. He had big, spiky brown hair but he had his eyes closed as if concentrating on something. The other boy was dressed a priest, his brown hair was in a braid that fell down till it was almost level with his knees. He was permanently wearing a large grin it seemed. Lacus stared at the man in the green vest with a curious frown,

"And who are you sir?" she asked politely. Heero opened his eyes and looked down at her. He bowed his head,

"My name is Heero Yuy. This is my… associate and fellow pilot Duo Maxwell." He gestured at the boy dressed as a priest. The boy scoffed,

"And associate is Heero speak for friend." He said with the same goofy grin. Lacus nodded, having read the names on a list somewhere on the bridge. These two were the pilots from the opposite universe.

The reporter seemed to have picked up on this as well and began to scribble notes down on his pad before speaking up again,

"Do you care to elaborate Mr. Yuy?" asked the reporter, his recording device at the ready. Heero nodded slowly,

"I make such a claim because this colony is now under the protection of the two Gundams, Gundam Wing Zero and the Gundam Deathscythe Hell." His eyes burned brightly and the reporter gulped, "And I promise everyone of the people living on this colony… they will die before they even get near this installation."

Heero bowed his head to Lacus once again,

"Is that the last of your questions Mr. Yuy?" she asked with a kind smile. Heero nodded,

"Yes thank you. I never could deal with these vultures for too long." He smiled a little at Lacus, "Maybe I'll see you at dinner Miss Lacus?"

Lacus bit her lower lip but nodded,

"Perhaps you will Mr. Yuy." She said before smiling a little, "Five o'clock in the hotel restaurant?"

Heero nodded,

"I think that would be a perfect time Miss Lacus." He said before bowing his head once more and walking off towards the hotel's front door. Duo jogged up to his side,

"What the hell was that?! Heero you just asked that Lacus girl out if you didn't notice!" he fumed, "What would Reliena say?"

Heero turned on Duo sharply,

"Two things Duo. One, that is not the real Lacus Clyne. That is a woman called Meers. And the date is purely to promote optimism in the populace of the colony." He looked down at his feet, "Two… Reliena wouldn't want to sit around and do nothing when I could give people hope. Any form of hope."

Duo sighed,

"You've got me there man…"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

**Notice:**** I need the help of the readers here to make up my mind. The fate of Kira Yamato hangs in the balance people! I want ****you**** to give me your vote. Is he really dead? Or has he miraculously survived the huge explosion and the resulting vacuum of space? You tell me!**

Ideals of the dead and the distant

Heero gulped nervously as his hands worked on auto pilot, tying the bow tie he was going to wear. He tightened it when he was down and nearly choked himself. Duo chuckled as the normally cool and collected Heero Yuy tried to overcome the first date jitters. Heero shot him a fierce look as he picked up the tuxedo's jacket and slipped it one. Duo shook his head, serious for once,

"I still think you'll betray Reliena if you do this." He said, his arms crossed over his chest. Heero heard the words and felt them as though they were physical blows. He looked down at his neatly polished shoes,

"This was Commander Waltfeld's idea. And besides… it supports the ideals Reliena wanted people to live by." He said with a sigh and another shake of his head, "But you're right Duo… this is betrayal."

Duo sighed and began to pace up and down,

"We need to remember Heero. We are going home." He said sternly. Heero nodded,

"After the mission is complete Duo. Not a second before." He agreed. Duo smiled weakly,

"And back to those we love." He said softly. Heero nodded, the bow tie once again beginning to feel awfully tight,

"Yes Duo… but not until the mission is over." Heero stated with a stubborn air about him. Duo smirked,

"You keep reinforcing that point… are you nervous about what we will come back to?" he asked sarcastically. Heero, completely serious, nodded,

"You saw how much time went by for Kira. Imagine what could happen in our universe in four years." He said as he bent over and began to tie his shoelaces. Duo frowned,

"Yeah… and he was transported back to his own universe…" Duo mused, his mind a flutter of confused thoughts and thesis. He watched as Heero stood up straight and stared at the door. Duo sighed,

"Should I say it or do you want to?" he asked with a small frown. Heero breathed deeply,

"Can you say it?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly. Duo nodded, understanding completely how his friend felt,

"Reliena promoted peace and hope to everyone in all their forms. Dating Meer will give the people hope." He raised an eyebrow, "I would've thought you'd know that by now Heero."

"I do know. It just feels better if someone else tells me the same thing I think."

Meer smiled and waved to the last of her well-wishers in the corridor, her room key already in her hand. She gave a final wave before unlocking the door, walking inside, and closing the door behind her. She waited, her body tense, until the door locked itself with a reassuring _'Click!'_

With the click Meer's attitude changed from one of buzzing happiness and hope to one of despair and tiredness. She sighed and walked on into the living room. She stopped when she saw an identical copy of herself sitting on the sofa, a glass of wine in one hand. The 'copy' was actually Lacus Clyne, the woman who Meer now worked as a double for. Lacus looked up at Meer and gave a weak smile. Her eyes were puffy, red and wet and her bottom lip never ceased to quiver unless the glass was touching it. She didn't seem to care that her tears were making her eyeliner run,

"H-hello Meer. W-welcome back…" she aid, her speech not slurred by the effects of the wine but by the small sobs that escaped her mouth when she tried to speak. This though came to Lacus as well and fresh tears appeared, a testament to her shame. Meer walked over to the sofa and sat down near Lacus. She reached out and held onto Lacus' free hand, comfortingly,

"How are you doing Lacus?" she asked, her thumb rubbing Lacus' hand in a soothing manner. Lacus sobbed, an action similar to a chuckle,

"He died while I watched on a screen Meer… how you think that makes me feel" she asked softly, taking another gulp of wine. Meer chuckled dryly and poured herself a glass of wine,

"That bad still eh?" she asked with a small smile. Lacus gave her own smile, a tiny and feeble thing,

"Yeah…" she sniffed, loudly and took another gulp, "I mean… he was right there Meer…"

Meer nodded as Lacus lost her train of thought to another bout of sobs. She patted Lacus on the back and sighed. Although Lacus had only spent time with Kira on the Arc Angel in space near earth, she'd formed a bond with him until she'd realized that it had been love at first sight. After Kira disappeared she continued to love him, sending search parties to search the entire universe for him. And when he'd finally come back he'd died at her doorstep because she couldn't risk giving away the colony. Meer sighed, sullen because she couldn't think of a way to cheer Lacus up. She smiled when she suddenly remembered,

"Oh yes. Lacus, one of the pilots from the other universe asked you out for dinner today. He'd quite cute…" she said, trying to make Lacus giddy with girlish glee. Lacus smiled slightly,

"Then you'd best get changed Meer. You understand?" she asked, still looking directly into the red depths of her wine, her eyes dull and lifeless. Meer smiled a little and patted Lacus on the back,

"You're loss is my gain then." She said before getting up from the sofa. She walked over into the bedroom and stepped up to the wardrobe, "What should I wear Lacus? It's going to be quite formally so I was thinking a long, sweeping dress."

Lacus chuckled a little and took another drink,

"What other type of dresses do we own?" she asked, a hint of her old self in the comment. Meer poked her head round the bedroom door and pointed at Lacus with a smirk,

"Careful. Keep that up and I might think that you'll start showing your face in public again…" she said before smiling. Lacus smiled and raised her wine glass,

"Not until I can no longer remember." She said with a sorrowful voice. She lowered the glass to her lips and took another gulp of the ruby liquid. Meer shook her head,

"You keep trying to drown your sorrows in that stuff and you'll end up and alcoholic. Just saying." She said with another sigh. Lacus frowned, the alcohol finally having an affect on her,

"Meer… you're job is to be my double. Not my mother. Let me deal with my problems the way I choose god damn it!" she shouted, the tears fresh and renewed in their drive to drip off of her face. Meer shook her head,

"I'm just trying to help…"

"Just… go on your date."

Andrew Waltfeld sat down heavily on his hotel's sofa. He groaned and closed his eyes, letting the sound last as long as possible. He stopped when he felt another person sit down on the sofa. He smiled without opening his eyes,

"I didn't hear you come in Murrue. How's the situation looking?" he asked with a deep sigh. Murrue responded with her own sigh,

"Not good Andrew. They're bringing in the entire ninth fleet." She sighed again and Andrew could almost imagine her closing her eyes as well. He smiled and opened his eyes. Sure enough, she'd closed her eyes. He tapped her on the cheek playfully and her eyes flicked open in a flash. He smiled at her,

"All the ninth fleet? Including the squadron of…" he trailed off as he thought about the ninth fleet. Murrue nodded with a similar feeling of dread,

"The squadron of Z2s. The Z2 _Constrict_, Blue Cosmos' answer to the co-ordinator problem." She said sarcastically. Andrew laughed joyfully, seemingly actually happy,

"And we thought the Z1 was bad… the Z2s are all mobile dolls and they're like improved versions of the Aegis…" he sighed and sank back into the sofa, "ETA?"

Murrue closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment,

"Full force should arrive in just under fourteen hours." She said, opening her eyes again. She looked at Andrew, "Does this station stand a chance?"

Andrew frowned as he thought about their chances. The station was fully coated with armor and beam cannons so it was able to defend itself against small squads of mobile dolls but if it was attacked by a ship it was doomed. Then there was the ten ships docked in the military ship hanger bay. They all had two squads of Deep Arms in their hangers and then there were the extra fifty suits that the station itself could deploy.

The ninth fleet was the bigger of the two forces. It consisted of fifteen capital ships, each of them Arc Angel class. They could destroy the colony in one collective blast but they'd deploy their mobile suits first and demoralize the population before they boarded the station and killed them all. The ninth fleet also had control over what was arguably Commander Tom Grayson's greatest gift to the earth military. The improved and upgraded models of the Aegis Gundam. Just one of them would be enough to take down the entire colony and its defensive fleet on its own.

That left only three things with which to turn the tide of the coming battle. The Blitz, the Wing Zero and the Deathscythe Hell. They were what the lives of over ten thousands people, naturals and co-ordinators depended on. He sighed,

"We're placing a lot of pressure on those kids. Shinn can handle it I guess… but the other two I haven't known long enough." He sighed. Murrue shook her head,

"They'll come through. Those two are driven to complete their mission like madmen. I spoke to them individually about their mission…" she looked into Andrew's eyes, "They were ready to die rather than let any member of Blue Cosmos live. The one with the green vest was adamant that it was worth even missing a chance to go back home if it meant beating Blue Cosmos."

Andrew shuddered,

"That boy, natural or co-ordinator, needs to learn how to be human."

Heero stood in front of the restaurant's open double doors, his bow tie once again cutting off the supply of oxygen to his body. He looked up and down the corridor, anxious and very aware that he was being stared at by the people inside the restaurant. His outer demeanor was the same, cold, calculating exterior that it always was and with his hands in the pockets of his black trousers he looked casual. The truth was different but his thoughts were still composed enough to make his body a deal. If she left him waiting for another five minutes then he'd leave. He was about to break the deal he'd made with himself and walk away when he saw her.

She was descending the grand staircase in the middle of the lobby. She was wearing a light pink dress that flowed at any and all possible areas. It trailed behind her but fluttered high enough to not touch the floor. Her face was perfectly smooth and white, her bright red lips in stark contrast to the soft color of her skin. Her hair, long and pink as her dress, cascaded down bellow her shoulders, wavy and to Heero it looked as though her hair was made entirely out of spun silk.

Heero was unaware that he'd been staring at her but when she blushed and Heero checked himself and looked down at the floor hurriedly before walking over to meet her in the middle of the lobby. She smiled and curtsied to him,

"Hello again Mr. Yuy, it is nice to see you again." She said with a radiant smile. Heero nodded at her again, bowing his head in the same motion,

"Likewise Miss Campbell." He said with a small smile of his own. Meer looked down at her feet and smiled a little,

"So you guessed?" she asked in a soft whisper. Heero heard her and nodded,

"Yes. I didn't expect Lacus to be ready to date after seeing what happened to Kira. It shows that she's still human." He said equally as softly. Meer smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. Not because of what he'd said but because of what he'd not said. When he'd made a reference to Lacus in conversation with her he hadn't called her the 'real' Lacus as people often did. Instead he treated them as two separate people. She smiled,

"Shall we eat now or do you wish to go for a walk to build up an appetite?" she asked, smiling with happiness already. Heero looked up at her before turning to the door and holding his arm out for her to hook her arm through,

"A walk sounds good." He said with a small smile. Meer bounded joyfully to his side and they locked arms. Heero set the pace at a brisk walk and they strode out of the hotel's doors, arm in arm.

They walked for a good while before Meer became aware that they'd been walking in silence for the past ten minutes. She looked at Heero with a confused look before she looked at their surroundings. The shops were boarded up and broken, dozens of people lining the streets in front of them. She gasped when she saw a boy, no older than ten years old, running after a rat with a fork held in his hand like a sword. Obviously the boy had just been cheated out of his meal. She stopped when she felt Heero had stopped moving. She looked up at him and saw a single tear trying to break free from his eye,

"These are the people who will suffer if this station falls… the poor people who cannot afford to run away." He said softly. He looked at Meer, his expression soft, "these are the people I fight for Meer. Not those rich hypocrites that live in the hotel and eat luxury cuisine."

He sighed and looked away. Meer's smiled gently and turned his head till he was facing her again,

"And these are the people whose rights me and Lacus fight for… these people deserve to be saved. These people can be the greatest of us all." She said and smiled up at Heero. Heero smiled down at her,

"You want to go back to the hypocrites and eat some fine cuisine then Miss Campbell?" he asked with a small smile. She held her arm out for him to take,

"Why Mr. Yuy… I'd be delighted to."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Warning!**** This piece of fan fiction is based upon the events of the Holocaust to raise awareness of the subject. This will be disturbing to read, it will include the description of some pretty awful things. Read at your own pace and please place a review telling me if you found this work to be for the better. Or, if you want, to flame me for showing this very graphic story arc on a website with no age limit. Your choice. **

**Notice:**** Thanks for any and all votes! The decision has been made… (Insert drum roll)… KIRA YAMATO SURVIVES! **

**There is only one problem. Kira will not be the same as he was before. Marks were left from his battle with the Respite. He will NEVER be the same again.**

Chaos; lord and master of the universe

Heero sat stock still in the cockpit of the Zero, his hands neither sweaty nor shaky as they held the controls, only heavy and even. Duo, Shinn and he had drawn straws to determine which one of them would lead the Deep Arms into battle against the Virgos and the battleships. He'd drawn the short straw and so his mission was to make sure that the main force of the Earthian fleet was decimated for when the Deathscythe and the Blitz finished with the squadron of Z2s and came to join the attack.

And so here he was, sitting in the Zero's small cockpit, the Zero itself floating in front of the Traverse. Alongside the Traverse were the nine other military ships that had been docked in the colony's hangers. And in front of them, just behind the Zero, the 400 Deep Arms suits waited in a tight line, their pilots nervously chatting to each other over the designated line.

Heero shook his head and switched his own communication line so that two screens came up in front of him. One showed the bridge of the Traverse, Andrew Waltfeld sitting in the captain's chair with Murrue watching over the crew. The other showed the main bridge of the colony where there were a variety of top brass military and two teenage girls, each sporting long, pink, hair and pink dresses. They looked almost identical to one another but Heero could tell them apart by their hair clips. He looked at the pink haired girl with the star clip in her hair and nodded to her,

"Don't worry Meer. This battle will be won." He said simply, his helmet blocking some of the sound so it sounded as if he was speaking softly. Meer blushed, obviously thinking that he'd meant to sound that way because he was speaking to her,

"Just come back safe Heero. I've no doubt that you and the others will save us." She said happily. Lacus nodded and placed a hand on Meer's shoulder,

"We're counting on you to take out the main guns of the Earthian ships. If even one of the guns is allowed to remain operational the damage to this station would be too great to comprehend." She said gravely. Heero nodded,

"Heero Yuy signing off bridge." He said to the Commander on the bridge of the colony. He waited for the man to nod before turning the screen off. He turned to the screen showing Commander Waltfeld. Waltfeld was smiling broadly,

"I see your mission on the colony was a success Heero." He observed with a smile. Heero pretended to flick some more switches to avoid answering the question, an activity that didn't go unnoticed by Waltfeld, "Very well by the looks of it."

Heero nodded slightly and Waltfeld almost howled with laughter. Murrue looked up at Waltfeld, slightly confused,

"What's so funny?" she asked. Waltfeld dried a tear from his eye,

"Heero here is feeling down even though he got slept with Meer Campbell last night. There are any number of teenage boys that would kill for an opportunity like that and this one's trying to pretend he didn't enjoy it." He howled with laughter again. He stopped only when Murrue shot him a furious glance. She turned to look at the screen with a motherly smile,

"Don't worry Heero. We'll talk about it when you get back. I've always been very good at listening." She said with a smile before turning the screen off. Heero stared at the screen for a few moments longer before turning it off. He flicked a switch and his communications channel switched to that of the pilots behind him. He breathed in deeply,

"All pilots initiate final preparations. Sound off!" he said down the line at his men. He was rewarded with shouts of, 'Four A ok!' and such a like. He gripped the controls tightly,

"Squadron leaders, are all suits present and accounted for?" he asked his second in commands. They all replied positively. He let loose the deep breath he'd taken in,

"Attack groups A through J… advance!"

Duo shook his head, his entire screen filled with Shinn's face. He shook it faster and faster until he was sure his face was a blur on Shinn's screen,

"You are **not** going on point Shinn! You know as well as I do that the Blitz will not be as well equipped to defeat these Z2s as the Deathscythe." He said stubbornly. Shinn frowned,

"Duo… this was not a debate. I was informing you. This is how we are going to fight them. My way." He said, equally as stubborn as Duo. Duo grunted,

"God… you're worse than Heero…" he muttered under his breath, momentarily forgetting that the microphone was right next to his mouth. Shinn chuckled,

"I'm not that bad." He said with a small smile. Duo tried to resist but in the end cracked a huge grin,

"Ya can be." He said smugly. Shinn pretended to be hurt, grasping at his chest as if to suggest Duo had struck his heart,

"How dare you say such a thing about me?!" he demanded in mock anger and hurt. Duo laughed until Shinn dropped the act, "But seriously Duo… that is how we're going to fight them."

Duo breathed out slowly,

"I can see that I can't change your mind… but I'm going to be right behind you. I don't want to be blamed if you go up in a ball of flames." He said with another grin. Shinn smiled a little,

"I'll try not to burden you with something like that Duo." He said. Duo flicked a switch and listened for a moment. He flicked the switched again and turned back to the screen with Shinn on it,

"Heero and the main attack force are advancing. Lacus thinks we should get in there as well and intercept the Z2s before they get to the Deep Arms." He said with a small sigh. Shinn nodded, fixing his helmet on properly,

"This would be easier if I had the impulse…" he moaned. Duo chuckled,

"Well Deathscythe here is perfect now. Not one of those pathetic suits will survive this battle with the god of death." He boasted confidently. Shinn raised an eyebrow,

"You have that much faith in Heero's OS writing skills?" he asked, more than a little surprised. Duo nodded,

"That and the fact that both the Deathscythe and the Zero are now coated in that phase shift armor coating stuff." He said with a smirk, "Isn't chemistry a great thing?"

Shinn scoffed,

"Yeah well let's see if the pilot can reach the suit's maximum potential." He said with a grin. Duo wagged a finger at him as the two Gundams blasted forwards,

"Never doubt the god of death my friend."

Heero let out a loud roar of determination as he slammed forwards on the controls of the Zero. The gleaming white Gundam streaked across the black sea of stars and made its way to the enemy ships and the Virgo suits that were rushing to meet him. There were well over six hundred Virgo suits and there was no doubt that every last one of them was a mobile doll. The Zero spun in mid flight, its buster cannon firing at targets without letting the suit slow down. Several Virgo suits exploded in the first seconds of the battle as the Zero penetrated the lines of the Virgo suits and found the ships, virtually undefended.

The Zero didn't stop flying forwards even though the system was screaming at Heero, telling him that he was on a collision course with one of the Arc Angel class ships. He ignored the system and fired forwards with the buster cannon. The cannon's huge beam sliced straight through both 'legs' of the great ship, leaving two identical holes through the ship. The Zero flew through the first one and stopped long enough to squeeze a shot off at the bridge of the crippled ship. The suit then flew out through the second hole and flew onto the next ship.

Throughout this the Deep Arms were completing their main objective, to keep the Virgos from interfering with Heero's objective to destroy the capital ships. They were taking heavy losses but were still managing to keep the Virgos down, destroying them in a ratio that none but the most desperate military minds would accept without calling a retreat. The Zero system calculated the ratio of destruction at 1:7. This meant that for every one Virgo suit that was destroyed seven Deep Arms pilots lost their lives. Heero twitched in his seat and considered turning round to help them. When he was just about to act upon the thought bright, yellow, light flooded the cockpit and Heero's vision was filled with an image of the colony. He smiled dreamily until the colony suddenly exploded.

The yellow light receded in seconds as Heero began to breathe in and out heavily. The Zero system had should him the future if he took that action. He took a few moments to get his breathing back to normal before sitting upright in his seat again. He stared blankly at the screens surrounding him. He could only see two things. One was Reliena Peacecraft, the other was Meer Campbell. He felt a growl build up in his throat. He'd not lose either of them! Let the universe do its worst!

Heero's eyes suddenly refocused on the glass in front of him and he stared into his own eyes. The pupils were larger than normal, abnormally so, and he could smell something in the air of the cockpit that should not have been there. It smelt natural, a sort of farm-like smell. His mind grasped the answer with remarkable ease. There was a smell of some sort of seed in the air. The growl came again and Heero jerked the Zero into action again. The buster cannon split down the middle into the two buster rifles and the white suit held one in each hand.

Heero roared yet again and let off blast after blast from the twin rifles. Explosions rocked the remaining capital ships as multiple shots from the rifles slammed into their hulls, breaching them in places and ripping sections off entirely in other cases. The Zero continued this huge volume of fire, shooting the rifles at least ten times at the large cannons of the Arc Angel ships. Heero's mind snapped away from the firing of the buster rifles when several salvos from the sledgehammer rocket launchers came flying at the Zero. They were too close to dodge and not far enough away to shoot so the Zero reacted like a human being, covering as much of itself with its hands as possible when the missiles made contact.

As the huge amount of fire escaped from the rockets and was put out by the vacuum of space the Zero came back into view. The suit wasn't even scratched. The armor still gleamed white and blue and the twin buster rifles were also unharmed. Heero started to chuckle a little until he was suddenly overcome by hysteria, he began to laugh madly. The Zero suddenly sprang back into life and both buster rifles pointed down at the ship that had fired the rockets. Heero sneered,

"I guess Duo did a good job with that phase shift armor huh?" he said to the ship as he fired both rifles. The ship was pierced by the two beams of yellow light and cracks appeared down its hull as it fell into two pieces. Heero chuckled again and dropped the buster rifles. The Zero reached onto its back and pulled the anti-ship sword free. The beam sword that was attached to its front edge pulsed into life and glowed green, casting a grim shadow over the huge metal sword behind it.

The Zero turned towards the battle with the Virgos again and saw the Deep Arms being pushed back. The thrusters almost exploded as Heero slammed them from stationary to full speed. The Zero zipped across the space between the ships and the battle in mere seconds and the Zero quickly began to make use of its invented weapon. The metal beam sword slashed with the speed of a beam sword but with the huge power of the anti-ship sword. The Virgos didn't stand a chance. Heero opened up the communications channel again,

"Attack groups A through J! Not one step backwards! DESTROY THOSE HEARTLESS MACHINES!"

Duo swore as one of the starfish-like black machines came screaming towards the Deathscythe from above, its four beam swords already starting their slashing movements. The Deathscythe dodged to the left and was about to slash down at the exposed suit when another came flying at him, its four miniguns blazing. The bullets did not damage to the Deathscythe but Duo knew that if it managed to slash him then the Deathscythe was going to get damaged, if not destroyed.

The Deathscythe slashed forwards with its beam scythe and the Z2 flew off to the right. Duo, already getting used to their tactics, immediately turned the Deathscythe to the left and slashed at the other Z2 that had attempted to sneak up on him. The scythe caught the mobile doll system off guard and the Z2 exploded violently.

The Deathscythe spun round again in time to bat another of the suits away with the blunt end of its scythe. The Z2 spun out of control of a few seconds before it came flying at Duo again. Duo swore and raised the Deathscythe's left arm. The retractable missile shot off of the arm and embedded itself in the centre of the Z2. The Z2 exploded mercilessly and the force rocked even the Deathscythe and the Deathscythe was already fighting another two of the Z2s.

All in all, Duo had started by fighting at least twelve of the Z2s. He'd destroyed six already but the others were slowly learning his battle techniques and adapting to become better opponents. This was evident when while the Deathscythe was busy engaging two of the suits the remaining four came flying up from behind. Duo swore and did something he'd not done in this universe yet, he span the Deathscythe on the spot in a 360 degree turn, the scythe slicing at everything close enough. Three of the suits fell apart and exploded and Duo used their explosions as a screen while the Deathscythe shot upwards and out outwards. The remaining three suits came flying up after him, like blood hounds they weren't about to let him get away.

Duo roared and the twin miniguns on the Deathscythe's head erupted in fire and one of the Z2s was destroyed. The other two scattered and Duo was about to cheer for joy at their sudden retreat when he saw the Blitz.

The Blitz was fighting bravely against three of the Z2s in front of it when one of them came up from behind it. A metal jaw protruded from the centre of the suit and it snapped shut around the Blitz's thrusters. The four sword equipped arms then made their move, stabbing into the front of the Blitz furiously, tearing up the torso of the black machine in seconds. The arms and swords blurred as they increased their speed, stabbing in and out faster than Duo could follow. He screamed loudly and shot the Deathscythe forwards. When he was still getting closer a two beams of yellow light slammed into the Z2 on the Blitz back. The starfish suit was blown clean off of the tattered Gundam and the other Z2s turned their attention to the source of the blasts. Duo did the same, a grin already spreading on his face as he though of Heero.

But their savior was not the Wing Zero. Three suits were floating there proudly. One of them Duo recognized immediately as the Strike Rouge IWSP but the other two were suits he'd never seen before. One was a white and blue suit with multiple cannons attached to its back and a beam sword in its hand, magnificent wings extending from its back. The centre suit was the strangest one Duo had ever seen.

It was a large, black suit with silver detailing. It has a large, square, cannon in its torso and six wings. Each wing supported its own thruster and its own beam cannon. But the strangest thing about the black suit was the fact that it had six limbs. It had two legs and two arms as normal but it also had two thinner arms bellow its normal arms. These thinner arms, Duo realized, were actually curved blades and they curved inwards.

The Z2s had assessed the new suits faster than Duo and proceeded to attack them straight away. The Rouge shot off to the left to deal with two of the Z2s and the white suit shot off to the right, three Z2s on its tail. That left only one Z2 for the black machine. The Z2 transformed into its bipedal formed and drew a beam sword. The Z2 slashed downwards with the sword but one of the black suit's normal arms grabbed the Z2's sword arm at the wrist and pulled the suit close. Then the use of the extra arms became apparent. When the two mobile suits were touching the two secondary arms snapped shut, as if drawn to each other. Their sharp edges cut through the Z2's armor like hot knives through butter and they met in the middle. The black suit released its grip on the arm of the Z2 and the two halves of the Z2 floated away.

Duo sat in his cockpit, completely amazed by the black suit. He'd never imagined a suit like it. It was like a combination of Quatra's Gundam and the Z1 thing the Wing Zero had faced. And the power of it was inspiring. Suddenly a screen flashed in the cockpit and Duo found himself looking at the face of Tom Grayson. The older teen broke out into a broad smile,

"Any chance of me, Cagali and our friend can join the rebellion?"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suit the Z1 **_**Respite.**_

**Notice:**** Finally gotten rid of the warning. My guess is that if you've gotten this far you either don't care or think it's a valid part of the story. **

See without seeing

Tom walked through the corridors towards the colony's bridge with Cagali by his side and six rifles pointed at his back. He smiled slightly as he thought of the guns. He couldn't really say he blamed them for not trusting him. He held out his hand and Cagali took it, wrapping her own fingers around his. She looked up at him with a smile that Tom found impossible not to return. He stopped walking for a moment and leaned down to her. He smiled and softly kissed her cheek,

"We made it Cagali. We made it to the resistance." He said before straightening up again. Cagali smiled and they both started walking again,

"Let's just hope Lacus has agreed to see us…" she said with a sigh. Tom chuckled and put his arm round her shoulders,

"She'd see us even if she just wanted to execute me on the spot." He said with a smile, something not often associated with execution, especially when you were the most likely participant. Cagali raised an eyebrow,

"Taking the potential execution rather well aren't you?" she observed. Tom winked at her,

"Yeah but that's because the damned man gets one last night with his lover. So it ain't all bad." He said with the same smile. Cagali punched him in the ribs,

"Oh get over yourself. You're not going to be executed." She said with a smile that wavered the more she thought about their situation. Tom saw her concern and smiled down at her,

"Don't worry Cagali. We'll take it as it comes, and not worry about it until it does come. I mean we're still not certain it will happen." He said and he kissed her on the head, "We'll live through this war and live together in peace one day Cagali. I promise."

Cagali looked up at Tom with tears in her eyes,

"Are you sure?" she asked, trying to hide the true extent of her emotions at the prospect of living with Tom in peace. Tom smiled as they reached the door to the bridge; the guards stopped in front of it and gestured inside,

"Well one of the people who has a major roll in making that dream come true is behind these doors." He smiled and walked through the door, Cagali following just a step behind him.

The bridge was just like every other colony bridge that Tom had ever been on except there were three commander's chairs in the centre of the room. In one sat a very fat man who'd just managed to squeeze himself into a uniform it seemed. In the other two seats sat two teenage girls who were completely identical, from their eye colour to their pink hair and pink dresses. The only thing to tell them apart was the fact that there was a boy wearing a green vest talking with one of them and not the other. Tom coughed and they all looked up at him and Cagali. The boy in the green vest reached for his pistol but Tom raised his hands in peace,

"I mean no harm. Heero Yuy isn't it? The pilot of the strange suit… the wing zero?" he addressed the teenager in the vest. The boy nodded,

"You remembered my name Commander Grayson." Heero said evenly, his hand still resting on his pistol. The girl nearest Heero, one with a star shaped hair clip, giggled and hit Heero playfully in the stomach,

"Heero you big dummy! He's a prisoner. He and his friends surrendered when they docked." She said and smiled up at Heero a bit too long for the other girl's liking,

"Please leave the lovey dovey stiff until after we've spoken to our guests. Thank you for waiting so patiently." The other pink haired girl said politely. Cagali smiled,

"It's alright Lacus. We don't mind as long as we are granted the same privilege." She said with a grin, knowing that the comment had made Tom sweat under the collar subconsciously. Lacus nodded seriously,

"Well it is time we began the discussions about the freedom of one Tom Grayson." She said, looking down her nose at Tom. She gestured to another door, "Shall we continue this conversation somewhere more private?"

Tom nodded with a nervous grin,

"That would probably be best…"

Andrew sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Traverse and he stared down at the young pilot in front of him. He was wearing a baseball cap with the lip pulled down so far that it always covered his eyes. His jaw was half flesh and half metal it seemed. The mouth had been replaced with a metal grill in the middle of the plain strip of metal that covered half of the boy's lower face. Needless to say the pilot's appearance was something of a shock to both Andrew and Murrue, not to mention the crew. When she'd first seen him Murrue had almost fainted and the crew had subconsciously made the sign of the cross. Andrew, it seemed, was the most respectful,

"Welcome aboard the Traverse. You are now one of her pilot's. Your current rank is ensign." He smiled a little, "Does the ensign have a name?"

The pilot didn't move, not even to breath it seemed,

"No." he said, his voice that of an automated computer, "My Gundam is the Strike Freedom. For practicality you may refer to me as Dom Free or ensign Free."

Andrew nodded slightly,

"Well you'll need to follow Murrue for you medical as she is the ranking medical officer on board." He turned beck to his laptop, "Hop to it ensign."

Murrue motioned with her hand and the pilot followed her through the ship to the medical bay. Without a word the pilot sat down on the examination table. Murrue took a white lap coat off of a hook and put it on. She took a small hammer out of one pocket,

"I'm going to test your reaction speed." She informed him. Again he didn't move,

"Confirmed." He responded in his machine-like voice. Murrue had to shiver at the voice again, so unnatural was the sound. She tapped each of his knees in turn with the hammer, she nodded, and both were perfectly fine. She walked over to a drawer and took out an A3 sized piece of card with letters and number on it in varying sizes. She held it in front of herself, her body blocking it from view as she searched for the blue tack,

"Now… I'll want you to read everything on this sheet when I put it up-"

"E,7,F,Z,6,5,Y,T,3,E,A,D,9,2 and produced on colony 34EZD." He read aloud in his metallic tones. Murrue shivered, she'd felt something touch her heart and a sense of violation had passed through her. She was still blocking the card from view. She swallowed hard and checked the card,

"Flawless…" she remarked before setting the card down on the floor. She slowly turned to face him and her gaze fell upon the lip of the baseball cap, still as far down as possible, "Let me look at your eyes."

The pilot finally moved in his place, pushing the cap's lip further down with his left hand,

"It is not something people like seeing." He warned in the emotionless voice of the machine. Murrue smiled,

"Have you not seen Commander Waltfeld? I've seen people with scars on their eyes before." She said encouragingly, her curiosity peaked by the pair of elusive eyes that the pilot hid behind the cap. The pilot nodded slightly,

"As you wish." He declared before removing his hat.

Murrue backed up against the far wall with an involuntary gasp. She'd heard about minor robotic replacements for co-ordinator but the technology was supposed to be restricted to single things such as hands and mouths. But obviously there had been a leap forwards in the technology, for the pilot was not normal. He had no natural eyes.

In the place of eyes he had two orbs of grey metal, broken into smaller squares by little lines and centred on a small circle of blue light that dominated both orbs. The lines suddenly flashed yellow and the blue light dimmed. Murrue shook her head,

"What happened to you?" she asked, unable to keep the awe and disgust from her voice. The pilot resettled his baseball cap so that the unnatural orbs were covered once again,

"I made a mistake in battle and paid the price."

Duo sighed as he floated down from the Deathscythe's cockpit after spending at least an hour re-testing the new OS that Heero had installed. As he floated down to the floor of the hanger he saw a man wearing a suit examining the Zero and the Deathscythe. Duo's hand flitted to his gun's holster as his feet touched the hanger floor,

"Enjoying the view?" he asked the unknown man. The man nodded without turning around,

"Yes actually. I've seen them both before though and I have to say that both designs are flawed." The man commented. Duo drew his pistol,

"To be perfectly honest I don't usually talk to someone about the Deathscythe Hell when I haven't seen their face." He said, the gun now lined up with the man's head. The man chuckled,

"You're sure I should turn around?" he asked. Duo squeezed the trigger in answer and the bullet passed inches from the man's ear, before embedding itself in the Zero's leg. The man nodded and turned round.

The man didn't have a face. Not in the biological sense anyway. The face was covered by a white mask with a chunk missing from it where the right eye hole would have been. This allowed an observer to look at a small section of the face behind the mask. The skin was black, as if burnt, and the eye had lost its entire colour, bar the blackness of the pupil. The left eye hole was covered by two strips of black tape that overlapped to create an image of a small cross over the eye hole. The mouth of the mask was a tiny slit in the metal lips that had been painted bright red and turned upwards in an eternally mocking smile,

"Enjoying the view?" asked the masked man, his head cocked to one side. Duo shook his head, drawing himself out of his trance,

"That's one hell of a mask you got there…"

"Smiles if you please."

"That's one hell of a mask you got there Smiles." Finished Duo, who was still holding the gun up. Smiles cocked his head to the other side,

"Still pointing the gun Duo? I find that almost insulting." He said plainly. Duo didn't lower the gun,

"How do you know my name?" asked Duo, already preparing to blast both mask and head to pieces. Smiles cocked his head to the right again,

"I know quite a lot about you Duo. You told me it all after all." Smiles explained. Duo slowly lowered his pistol, his fingers going numb at the tips,

"Kira…?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Smiles cocked his head to the left,

"Kira Yamato is a dead man." He said in a voice that suggested that he was actually smiling underneath the metal mask, "I am Smiles. Just Smiles."

"Total amnesty?" Tom asked, just to make sure he'd heard Lacus correctly. Lacus sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table from Tom and Cagali, finally stopping her pacing to sit in between Heero and Meer,

"We will forget any wrong doings on your behalf Mr. Grayson, with only a few conditions." She clarified. Tom looked at Cagali by his side with a smile,

"Let me guess… we join the rebellion as pilots in our mobile suits, right?" he asked, placing his hand on top of Cagali's hand on the table. Meer nodded,

"That's one of the conditions but not the main one. The main condition is somewhat different." She said, smiling when Heero got out of his chair to stand behind her. Lacus nodded grimly,

"We want you to tell us everything you know about the leader of the political party Blue Cosmos." She said slowly, as if afraid that if she said it too fast he'd lose the meaning. Cagali looked at Tom as he took a sip from the glass of water in front of him for the first time in an hour of discussion. He put the glass back down carefully,

"The current leader of Blue Cosmos is a hard man to find. He has to be to survive assignation attempts." He said, not answering the question directly. Lacus frowned,

"We've noticed that. We've managed to get a picture of his old face but apparently he made a mistake in a mobile suit battle. Apparently the damage was severe enough to require a new face." She informed him. Tom nodded,

"I remember the accident." He sighed and took another sip from the glass, "His real name is Garth Marco. He went into hiding after becoming the leader of Blue Cosmos as a precautionary measure. Although after the accident it became a lot easier to spot him seeing as parts of his face were removed, replaced or damaged beyond saving at all."

Lacus' expression hardened,

"And your friend in the Freedom has just such a face. As does the man that Duo found in one of the hangers earlier." Her eyes narrowed, "Are you telling me that one of those men is Garth Marco? Are you telling me you brought Garth Marco to this colony?"

Tom sighed,

"One of those men is indeed Garth Marco. But I did not bring him." He straightened up in his chair and took another drink of water, "The man we brought in the Freedom was a man we saved from certain death a few days ago. His name is Kira Yamato."

At the mention of Kira's name all three people on the opposite side of the table were suddenly interested in the conversation. Lacus swallowed hard,

"Are you telling us that Kira Yamato survived the destruction of the Strike long enough to float into your area? And that you saved him?" she asked, the hope in her voice as evident as the scepticism. Tom nodded with a small smile,

"Unfortunately Kira needed a lot of surgery. We left him at a doctor's when we went to retrieve the Freedom and the Z3. When we returned the surgery was complete but he never let us look at him or his replacements. Always wearing a hooded jumper and a hat and mask combination." Tom sighed, "But one of those men is Kira Yamato."

Meer and Heero both stared at Lacus for any indication on how she would react to this news. When Lacus looked up her eyes were steel,

"Detain both men. Put them in the holding cell and begin the interrogation process." She declared. Meer stood up suddenly,

"But one of them is Kira-!"

"And one of them is Garth Marco! The most dangerous human being in the universe!" Lacus shouted, drowning out Meer's argument, "I would rather see both men in the holding cell being interrogated than risk making the wrong choice and releasing Garth Marco into a colony full of innocent civilians."

Heero put his hands on Meer's shoulders and gently pushed her back into her seat. Lacus looked up at Heero,

"Will you be able to carry out the interrogation Heero? We can't afford any bias in this process." She said, her emotions about to break out of her tough outer shell. Heero nodded gravely,

"I shall take up the responsibility for interrogating them. I will find out which one is Kira." He said resolutely before leaving the room. Tom took a gulp of the water in his glass, draining it dry,

"Why do I get the feeling that this 'interrogation' will involve a great deal of physical pain for those two men?" he asked nervously. Lacus stood up and made for the door,

"Because sometimes we need to be monsters to fight monsters."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 **_**Respite, **_**Z2 **_**Constrict **_**and the Z3 **_**Frustration.**_

**Warning!:**** This chapter has returned to a dark point in our story folks. Scenes of torture will haunt this chapter and the next to the point where it will get gradually harder for me to write this story. But I am merely the writer.**

**I do not make the story, the story makes me.**

Friends in the most unlikely places

Ensign Free sighed as he was marched through a series of long, blank corridors by two armed guards who he'd been equal to only an hour prior. He tried to attract their attention with a small cough but no sound escaped the metal grill of his mouth piece. He chided himself mentally for forgetting what the robotic mouth allowed him to do. He also, instinctively, tried to frown, before remembering the restricting metal mouth. Dom sighed mentally when he was bundled into a featureless cell. Smiles looked up at him when he entered,

"Nice to see you again Dom!" he said enthusiastically. Dom nodded and sat down on the bare floor with Smiles,

"Likewise." He replied, the mouth piece distorting his voice so that it didn't sound like he meant it. Smiles cocked his head to the left,

"So… you got everything done that you wanted to do before they dragged you in Dom?" he asked conversationally. Dom shook his head,

"Negative." The mouth piece said. Smiles cocked his head to the right,

"Why do you use words like 'negative' and 'positive' in a simple conversation with a friend?" he asked, picking the dirt from underneath one of his fingernails as he did so. Dom would have laughed if the mouth piece would have let him,

"Predictive speech." He responded. Smiles chuckled,

"I bet that sucks."

"You have ignorance." Dom held up a single finger and hit his mouth piece with his other hand, "I meant, 'no idea'."

Smiles chuckled,

"You'd think you'd be able to turn that feature off. After all, it was your own design. I mean you made it!" He laughed a little. Dom wagged his finger at Smiles,

"I didn't make it. You did." He corrected his friend. Smiles shook his head,

"I just put the components together. You told me how to do everything and what parts went where. Not just for your mouth but also for you eyes." He said, gesturing at Dom's baseball cap with one of his cleaned fingers. Dom shrugged,

"It matters not. The predictive speech is only a minor inconvenience." He concluded before focusing his vision on the far wall of the cell. Smiles cocked his head to the left again,

"Looking at something?" he asked, strangely amused to see a man looking through a wall, if not more than one wall. Dom didn't move a muscle as he spoke,

"Yes. It appears as though our 'interrogator' is coming soon. The guards are being lined up by their CO in time to be told to be one their best behaviour." He said with what he thought would be a humorous tone but knew that it had sounded the same as every other comment he'd made since donning the mouth piece. The twin grey orbs swivelled in his sockets and the blue centres focused on Smiles,

"I never did really thank you for helping me make my replacements." He said with thumbs up, the most positive signal that he could give at the moment. Smiles chuckled again,

"I should be thanking you Dom. You made this mask for me before you could even see and the tech in this thing is amazing." He said with a real smile behind the white metal of the mask. Dom shook his head,

"I was merely returning the favour you granted me." He said slowly. Smiles chuckled a little and cocked his head to the right again,

"Let's just say we're both thankful that we met each other." He said, holding out one of his hands. Dom nodded and clasped Smiles' hand with his own,

"Confirmed." The mouth piece said. Smiles tried, and failed, not to laugh and Dom had to hit him in the arm to silence him. Smiles giggled,

"Oh come on Dom. You have to admit, that was funny." He said, cocking his head to the left yet again. Dom nodded,

"Slightly." He conceded. The door to the cell flung open and four armed guards came into the cell, their machine guns pointed at the two prisoners. Smiles chuckled,

"Would you look at that… the peaceful Lacus Clyne has decided to execute us straight away!" he said with a dry laugh. He pointed to his mask, "Go ahead. Plant a slug right here."

A boy wearing a green vest and a pair of jeans walked into the cell slowly,

"That's not quite right." The boy said his face completely emotionless. Both Smiles and Dom were visibly surprised by the appearance of the boy, though it was by means other than their faces which remained as unreadable as ever. Both men attempted to gasp, Smiles being the only one to succeed,

"Heero!" both of the prisoners said in unison. Heero frowned a little as he looked down at both of the half men. They weren't full men anymore; their individual accidents had made sure of that. He shook himself mentally. That was definitely the wrong mindset to be in. The moment he started to downgrade the equality of people to that of sub-human was the moment he became that which he'd sworn to destroy when he'd first seen the corpses in the warehouse. He nodded to the guards,

"Take the one called 'Smiles' first. He will be the first to be interrogated." He declared. The guards went over to drag Smiles to his feet but Smiles shook off their hands and stood up on his own. He shook his head,

"I don't need anyone's help to stand up Heero. You should know that." He said savagely. Heero nodded and took a step closer to Smiles,

"I know." He said before punching Smiles hard in the gut. Smiles bent over at the waist in pain and Heero shook his head sadly, "But you will when we've finished our first session."

Duo shook his head,

"That is disgusting Lacus. I would never have thought you'd be capable of such cruelty." He said before spitting at Lacus' feet. The guard by Lacus' side reached for his gun,

"Now hold on…" he began but Lacus waved a hand for him to be silent. She looked directly at duo, her gaze not wavering even in the slightest,

"I needed to do it Duo. It is necessary to protect this colony and all of its inhabitants. And nothing is beneath me if that is the overall result." She said her voice cold but calm. Duo shook his head,

"This makes you no better than them Lacus." He said, his anger and disgust, among other emotions, reaching boiling point inside him. Lacus didn't even blink,

"Sometimes I have to be a monster to fight monsters." She said evenly. Andrew, who was standing beside Duo, shook his head,

"You can't Lacus. If you do it too long you become a monster." He reasoned, almost pleading with the teenage girl. Lacus' eyes remained the same steely texture they had always been,

"If that is what it takes then so be it." She replied. Andrew shook his head,

"And what would Kira say if he saw you like this Lacus?" he asked, knowing it would provoke a response from her. Lacus' hands clenched into fists and she refused to look anywhere but down at the floor,

"Don't say something like that Andrew!" she screamed. She was breathing heavily and was visibly shaking, "Don't ask me to choose between my heart and the best interests of my race! Just don't…"

She broke down from her anger and sobbed softly, tears hitting the floor as she still refused to look at them. Andrew shook his head,

"But if Kira was allowed to rejoin the Traverse then he would serve the best interests of the co-ordinators!" he reasoned. Lacus shook her head,

"But if I make a decision about which one to release before they've confirmed who they are then I risk letting Garth Marco loose with the Strike Freedom." She looked up at them again, her eyes steel again despite the drying tears just bellow them, "The universe would not survive if I were to make a decision like that."

Duo spat at her feet again,

"So you turned to Heero. Knowing that Heero would be the only one here to obey without question." He chuckled dryly, a mocking chuckle as any, "You're doing what that Flay girl did to Tom. You're using a soldier to perform actions that even a murderer would shudder at."

He shook his head in disgust,

"I won't fight for you until you've seen the error of your ways." He declared before turning on his heels and storming out of the room. Lacus sighed and looked to Andrew,

"Can you talk him out of that?" she asked, "If he doesn't fight to protect the colony then we only have Shinn to protect us. I don't doubt him but he did take a beating at the hands of that Z2 unit and I'd hate to send him into battle if he wasn't completely fit for it."

Andrew looked at the pink haired teenager once again. He saw the outer shell of the fragile girl he'd helped escape Earth all those years ago but knew that her core had changed. Four years of continuous war had that sort of effect on people. Andrew shook his head,

"No, I can't Lacus. He's made up his mind and that's something I can't change." He sighed and turned to leave himself, "I will take his place if it comes right down to it but remember something Lacus. The kid's got a point."

Smiles tried to move his arms and his legs but found that his wrists and ankles were attached to the same table that he was lying atop of. He tried again to move his arms and found that the wrists were bound to the tabletop by what seemed to be a metal strap. He thought back to when he might have seen the straps before. Obviously it was when he'd been put on the table in the first place. The problem was that he couldn't remember ever being set down on the table. In the place of this memory was blackness. He mentally chided himself for not being able to tell that it was because they'd drugged him at some time and he was only just waking up now. This possibility also allowed for the splitting headache he was nursing.

He turned his head to the side when he finally became aware that his neck and head were not restricted in anyway. Heero was standing beside the bed that Smiles was resting on, in front of a control panel that seemed to be entirely composed of only a single dial and a single button. Smiles looked up at Heero and managed to sleepily cock his head to the left,

"How's it going Heero?" he asked. In response Heero pushed the single button. With this one action an immense pain shot through Smiles' entire being in the blink of an eye. And although the pain only lasted for a second or two Smiles had arched in back involuntarily and every part of his body was covered in a fine film of his own sweat. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain was gone. Smiles slumped back onto the bed, thankful that the pain was over. He gasped for breath,

"Jesus Heero… what was that?" he asked, still trying to get his breath back after it had been forcible ejected from his body. Heero turned the dial slightly,

"It was an electric shock." He explained before pushing the button again. The pain flared up in Smiles immediately and lasted for a second before relenting. Smiles once again slumped back onto the table top. The second shock had been more painful than the first. He turned his head to look at Heero again,

"W-what do you want to know?" he asked, the memory of the pain enough to chase any thoughts of a witty comment from his mind. Heero shook his head,

"Its not what I want that matters. Its what Lacus wants that matters." He explained expressionlessly and emotionlessly. Smiles frowned behind his mask, an action lost to Heero,

"Lacus wants you to do this to me? Why?" he asked, confused that the pink haired angel he knew would ever wish this kind of pain on another human being. Heero sighed and turned the dial again but didn't push the button,

"She wants answers. And she knows enough about the dark corners of the human mind to realise that if she merely asked you would most likely just lie." He looked straight into Smiles' eyes, "Please remember this. I don't want to do this to you but I have to. I will ask you a series of questions and you will answer them. If you do not answer then I will shock you. If you do not tell the truth then I will shock you. If your answer drops bellow your normal level of intelligence then I will shock you. Is this clear?"

Smiles nodded gravely,

"Yes. I understand." He replied with a groan following his words, the shocks having hurt his lungs so much that it hurt to breath, let alone talk. Heero nodded,

"Good. You see this dial and the button beneath it?" he asked, pointing to the two instruments. Smiles nodded, "The dial controls the strength of the shock and the button releases that amount of electricity directly into the base of your spine. You would do well to fear them both."

Smiles couldn't help but chuckle a bit,

"Learn to fear the dial and the button, got it chief." He said, anticipating the shock that would come from his attempt to be light hearted. Heero did not push the button however, instead choosing to place a hand on Smiles' shoulder,

"Good. The questioning will begin now." He let go of his shoulder and Smiles' felt himself shiver at the loss of the comforting touch. Heero stood next to the button and dial again, "Now… what is your name?"

Smiles licked his cracked and bloody lips beneath his mask, another action lost to anyone watching him,

"My name is Smiles." He said. The pain sprung up on him again, making his body sweat even more and his back arch until he thought it would snap in two. Then it was gone again. Smiles gasped in pain and with the need for air to fill his lungs again. Heero turned the dial again but didn't push the button,

"I told you not to lie to me." He said simply. Smiles shook his head rapidly but Heero spoke before he could protest, "What is your name?"

"Smiles! My name is Smiles!" he screamed. The shock came again, at least twice as powerful as before. His eyes bulged in their sockets and his body was almost swimming in its own juices. Heero shook his head,

"Stop lying and the pain will stop." He said soothingly. He placed his comforting hand on Smiles' shoulder again, "Stop lying."

Smiles shook his head rapidly,

"I'm not lying!" he protested. Heero shook his head again,

"You are lying. No matter how well you're doing it you are lying." He said, patting Smiles on the shoulder with his comforting hand again. Smiles shook his head,

"I'm not lying! My name is Smiles!" he insisted. Heero sighed,

"I can see that this question will not get us anywhere, you're still persisting, still lying. Perhaps a different question." He tapped Smiles' mask, "Can you see the numbers on the dial?"

Smiles turned his head to look at the dial and had to struggle to see the small numbers on it clearly enough to read,

"Yes. They go up in fives from zero to one hundred and ten." He said slowly, his mouth devoid of saliva since the last shock had forced it out of his mouth. Heero nodded,

"Good. You're correct." He walked back over to the controls, "It is currently resting at fifty. I warn you that one hundred and ten is the correct amount to render a human being unconscious without killing them."

Heero sighed,

"Now that I'm sure you can speak truth I will ask you once more…" he looked directly into Smiles' only visible eyes, "What is your name?"

Smiles shook his head,

"My name is Smi-!" he began but was cut off by another shock from the machine. So great was this shock that when it was over Smiles could hear crackling in his ears and saw dark corners in his field of vision. Heero's face filled Smiles' field of vision suddenly,

"That was one hundred and ten. Now before you lose conciousness I want to say something." He looked down at Smiles with a sad expression on his face, "Neither I nor Lacus wants to do this. But we both have to do this."

The last thing Smiles saw before slipping into the world of dreams was the sad face of Heero Yuy, an emotionless man forced into showing emotion by the actions he was conducting.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 **_**Respite, **_**Z2 **_**Constrict **_**and the Z3 **_**Frustration.**_

**Warning!:**** This chapter has returned to a dark point in our story folks. Scenes of torture will haunt this chapter to the point where it will get gradually harder for me to write this story. But I am merely the writer.**

**I do not make the story, the story makes me.**

Saving Ensign Yamato

Dominic was sitting quietly in the corner of the cell when the lock was violently unlocked. He didn't move a muscle but his 'eyes' rotated to the point that he could see nothing but the tip of his cap. With a flash of blue light the cap was no longer visible, replaced instead by the sight of the opening door. The cap was still blocking the view of the door but the 'eyes' had chosen not to see the cap at all so Dominic was given a good view of Smiles being thrown into the cell, limp as a rag doll.

Dominic got up from his crouching position in the corner as made his way over to Smiles. He crouched down next to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. When his shoulder was touched Smiles twitched violently and tried to roll away from Dominic, only to fail in the action of rolling and end up in a crumpled ball. The two guards took out their truncheons and made towards Dominic before they suddenly stopped. Dominic's eyes swivelled round so that they saw straight through the back of their sockets and through the entire skull to see Heero standing in the doorway. Evidently it had been Heero who'd called off the guards. Dominic looked down at Smiles again,

"Hey… buddy…" he tried to say, the mouth piece robbing the words of their comforting value. Smiles seemed to be close enough to sanity at that moment to recognise the voice of the mouth piece and he turned over on the floor until he was looking directly into the orbs that had replaced Dominic's eyes,

"Dom…? Thank god… I've never been so glad to see another human being in my entire life!" he cried before throwing himself onto Dominic, hugging the other man tight as he sobbed into his shoulder. Dominic moved his head so that Heero could tell that he was looking at him. Amazingly Dominic's new eyes were even better at giving people 'the stare'. Probably because the centres glowed bright red instead of blue. Heero's gaze met Dominic's unnatural stare and did not falter. Dominic detangled himself from the weeping Smiles and made to stand. The nearest guard raised his truncheon as if to strike Dominic,

"Wait!" commanded Heero. The guard stopped in mid swing without question and put his truncheon away. Dominic spared the guard a single glance before getting to his feet and taking a few steps closer to Heero. He stood there for a moment, just staring, before deciding which question he wanted to ask,

"Why?" he asked simply. The guards once again went to attack Dominic, apparently this time for even daring to ask such a question. Heero waved his hand irritably and the guards stopped and took two steps back each. Heero sighed,

"Because I was ordered to do so. It is my duty." He replied, still not averting his gaze from that of Dominic. Dominic shook his head,

"You're lying. Lacus would never tell you to do something like this Heero! She's not like that!" he protested, his anger at Heero not even fully expressed by the mouth piece. Heero shook his head,

"Whether you're Garth Marco or Kira Yamato it makes no difference. Lacus has been changed by this war. She has realised that a war cannot be conducted with honour when your opponents have no sense of honour." He said with another sigh. Dominic shook his head,

"No… you're still lying. Lacus would never change like that! She was always a soft woman!" he declared, secretly cursing the predictive speech of the mouth piece for 'his' choice of words. Heero waved his hand,

"You'd be surprised what the constant pressures of war can do to people." He said and watched as one of the guard's truncheons smacked against the back of Dominic's head. Dominic crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes and Heero nodded to the guards. It was time to finally end this ordeal. It had been dragged on too long, for all three of them.

Shinn and Duo were sat down in the canteen drinking coffee. Both teenagers were silent as they continued to drink the coffee pot in front of them dry. Duo barely looked at anything other than his own coffee cup and the pot of coffee in between himself and Shinn. He had glanced at Shinn once or twice and the clock more than that but apart from those two objects he'd only glanced at the coffee vessels. Shinn took a sip from his coffee and sighed,

"It's not the same around here when you don't talk to any of us Duo. We've begun to miss your dry wit." He attempted. Duo chuckled a little,

"Is that the only thing you could think of to bring me out of my reprieve?" he asked with a small smile. Shinn grinned,

"We can't all be comic geniuses Duo." He replied, taking another sip from his coffee cup. Duo shook his head,

"No, I guess not." He agreed before returning to looking at only the clock and the coffee. Shinn sighed and shook his head a little,

"Come on Duo. Talking to you has been like talking to a brick wall today. What the hell happened to you during your meeting with Lacus and Andrew?" he asked, feeling a great pressure being lifted from his chest after finally asking the question that had burned foremost in his mind. Duo looked up from his coffee cup sharply,

"Why? Has Andrew sent you?" he demanded, not taking his eyes off of Shinn for the first time in their little coffee drinking session. Shinn frowned,

"Of course not Duo. I just thought we were friends is all." He said with a slight sniff. Duo frowned,

"I've already lost one friend today because he followed the orders of a 'superior' officer instead of listening to his conscience. Why not another?" he asked sarcastically. Shinn frowned,

"I don't know what you're talking about Duo." He said truthfully. Duo sighed and finished his full cup of coffee with a single gulp,

"I know Shinn… I know but… I just feel a little on edge at the moment." He said before refilling his cup with steaming hot coffee. Shinn nodded,

"I understand. But are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked. Duo sighed and set down his cup before taking the first sip,

"Alright Shinn." He said, breathing in deeply, "It's Heero. He was ordered to conduct the 'interrogation' of those two pilots we found that don't have natural faces. She picked him because she knew he'd do what he was told over listening to his own conscience, and it sickens me."

He took a gulp from the coffee cup before continuing,

"I mean Kira told us all about Lacus on our way here. He thought the word of her! She could do no wrong in his eyes." He spat on the floor, "And now she's sold him down the river and gotten one of my friends to torture one of my other friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my cabin to read a book seeing as I ain't going to sell my soul anytime soon."

Shinn watched with a soft frown as Duo left for his cabin.

When Dominic awoke he found that his entire field of vision was filled by the face of Heero Yuy. His mechanical eyes spun in their sockets once, doing a 360 rotation, before settling on Heero's face again. Dominic opened his mouth to speak and was surprised to find that his mouth did actually open completely, no restriction what so ever. He was even more confused when he felt the air brush against his cracked and dry lips and into his mouth. He gasped,

"W-what…? How did you know?" he asked his voice quieter than he'd thought it would be, probably from lack of use. Heero smiled faintly,

"You're stills are admirable but it was quite easy with someone with my experience to see through the ruse." He held the mouth piece up in front of Dominic, "You tried to hide your face. Why?"

Dominic shook his head,

"And why should I answer any of your questions?" he shot back, his tongue getting back into the swing of actually moving to form words. Heero's face turned sad,

"Because of the knife." He said quietly. Dominic chuckled,

"That's it? A knife?" he spat at Heero, catching the other teen on the cheek, "Pathetic."

Heero took a step to the left and that was when Dominic saw it. There was a simple robotic arm set up a few metres in front of him. The arm stretched across the distance and in its metallic hand it held the simple knife, pointing it dead straight forwards at Dominic. The knife's point was only a few centimetres away from his bare stomach. Dominic gulped and Heero nodded,

"Sometimes the simplest of methods is the most effective. You see…" he blocked Dominic's field of vision again, "there are devices that allow people to look into the minds of others. It is a great help in interrogations even though it cannot give up the mind's secrets. It can still give away a person's worst fears. For you… the worst death imaginable is being stabbed in the gut and slowly bleeding to death."

Dominic's eyes tracked Heero as he walked behind Dominic. It was only then did Dominic realise that he was strapped down to a table and that the robotic arm was pointing the knife down at him because he was horizontal. His eyes followed Heero's movements intently despite this realisation,

"So we brought in this machine. A crude machine by any standards but it has the capability to slowly push an object downwards." He stopped walking, "But this doesn't have to go any further. I have my suspicions about your real identity. If you answer one question without lying then you will be released. Now… what is your name?"

Dominic looked directly at the knife's point, so silvery and smooth yet so viciously sharp and no doubt deadly. Dominic swallowed hard,

"My name is Dominic Freedom." He said slowly. There was a strange noise of moving machinery and the knife's point moved downwards so that it was just touching the skin of Dominic's stomach. Dominic instinctively tried to move his stomach away from the knife's point but he was secured in such a way that his struggles were fruitless. He looked up at Heero. Heero shook his head,

"You may not have any pupils to give away your lies but I can always tell when someone is telling me a lie." He sighed and knelt down beside the metal table near Dominic's head, "Please. I don't want to do this anymore. This… this is tearing me apart as a human being."

Dominic watched in disbelief as a single tear fell from Heero's eye. Dominic suddenly felt a huge feeling of sympathy for his torturer. He was here because he was ordered to be here, he was as much of a captive as Dominic himself. The sympathy only lasted a moment before the anger and hurt resurfaced,

"You have me strapped down to a table with a knife about to slowly stab me in the gut. You have tortured one of my friends to the point where he was reduced to a gibbering wreck. And you expect sympathy?" he spat at Heero again. Heero dodged the spit this time and stood up silently. He quickly whipped away the tear and became focused on his job again,

"Once more before the knife goes in. What is your name?" he asked of the teenager on the metal bed. Dominic's heart was racing ten to the dozen and looking at the poised knife made it all the worse. He swallowed hard again. There were two voices in his mind at this time; neither of them being quiet either. One was yelling at him that the sensible thing would be to just tell Heero his real name. The other was swearing against that same course of action. Dominic breathed in deeply,

"Ok… I've made up my mind. How about this…?" he grinned a little, "I give you the finger…" he stuck up his middle finger on his right hand, "And you get down to actually killing me."

Heero sighed,

"It'll be a sad time without you. But I was told to kill if no answers could be extracted. And you don't seem like the kind of person to change their mind." He said before moving over to a simple green button, "It is a shame that you had to see this."

Dominic frowned,

"See what?"

"The action that turns me from a human being into a monster."

Smiles slammed his entire body against the reinforced door and the door buckled a little. He swore and stooped down to steal the pistol from the dead guard in front of the door. He took up the pistol and levelled it at the door's lock. He breathed in deeply before emptying the entire clip of ammunition into the lock. The door swung open and Smiles took out the combat knife, dropping the empty gun to the floor.

Heero looked up at the doorway and saw the mask wearing, knife wielding maniac and took it all in better than could be expected. He didn't push the button to kill Dominic like some people would have done. Neither did he scream at the sight of Smiles waving a combat knife around like a scene from a bad horror film. He jumped straight over the table that Dominic was strapped to and kicked out with his right foot. The toe of the boot connected with the robotic arm's hand and the knife flew up into the air. Heero's outstretched hand was ready when the knife came tumbling back down to earth. He jumped down from the table, his own knife in hand. Smiles whistled,

"I know we're about to have a knife fight to the death but I have to admit… that was freaking awesome man." He admitted openly. Heero raised an eyebrow,

"Are we going to have a knife fight or are we going to exchange witty banter first?" he asked, twirling the knife round two of his fingers elegantly. Smiles threw the knife up slightly and caught it in mid spin by the handle,

"I'm sorry. I guess this rescue best get going then." He said before crouching slightly to better balance his body's weight. Heero shook his head,

"I have no problems with you releasing this man." He said simply. Smiles lowered his knife,

"Then why are you getting ready to stop me?" he asked, confused,

"Because I want to be able to say that I killed Garth Marco in a knife fight." He said coolly. Smiles chuckled,

"Figured it out did you?" he smiled beneath his mask, "How'd you figure it out?"

Heero took a step forwards, his knife at the ready,

"Simple. Only Kira would be selfless enough to face death by his worst fear for a friend. Garth Marco would never do that." He explained flatly. Smiles nodded,

"True enough I suppose." He nodded, "You guessed right Mr Yuy. My name is Garth Marco and my friend Dominic Freedom is actually my friend Kira Yamato. Now can we get down to the knife fight?"

"Of course."


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Regular disclaimer really

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 **_**Respite, **_**Z2 **_**Constrict **_**and the Z3 **_**Frustration.**_

Splitting in half

Lacus sat very still in her chair and stared at the officer in front of her, her fingers going numb. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Meer, who was sat to her left, found the strength to speak,

"Are you sure? Heero know which one is Kira and which one is Garth Marco?" she asked, her hands held together so tightly that her knuckles were white. The officer nodded quickly,

"Yes but-"

"Garth Marco has escaped and is attempting to kill Heero." Finished Lacus with a sigh, having finally come to grips with the officer's original report. The officer nodded once before saluting smartly and jogging out of the room. Meet looked at Lacus, visibly shaken,

"Do you think that Heero and Kira will be ok?" she asked, her eyes wetter than normal. Lacus breathed in slowly,

"We have to believe that they will make the right choices and be able to overcome their enemies." She said. Meer stood up,

"We'll need to go to them and send the guards over…" she began but stopped when Lacus raised her hand suddenly,

"We don't need to go anywhere but back to our hotel room Meer. You and I both know that whoever wins the fight will look for us." She looked up at Meer before standing herself, "We shall wait for them to find us instead of giving them more people to kill. I shall order the guards to stay well away from the fight."

Meer shook her head,

"Are you telling me that you're going to let Heero and Garth Marco run around the colony fighting each other to the death with knives?" she asked, somewhat concerned to say the least. Lacus nodded,

"I have faith in Heero. Do you?" her question caught Meer off guard. Meer nodded slowly,

"Yes. I have faith in Heero. He can win the fight." She finally came to realise. Lacus nodded and began to walk to the door. Meer caught up with her and they walked side by side down the corridors and out into the street. They got inside their shared limo before hurrying inside their hotel when the car stopped. They walked through reception in silence. They stood in the lift in silence except for when Lacus told the doorman which floor they wanted to get to. And they walked in silence down the corridor and into their shared hotel room. Lacus moved silently over to the sofa and sat down, quite at ease. Meer followed, nowhere near at ease,

"Are you sure that they'll come to find us?" she asked as she sat down beside Lacus. Lacus smiled faintly,

"Kira and Garth will come here for their revenge I'm sure and Heero will come here to protect us. Rest assured Meer, no matter how they do it, they will get here."

When the door to the military's secret under level base burst open the people in the street were a little surprised to see the boarded up front of a shop swing open to reveal the steel stairs leading downwards into an unknown level of darkness. They were even more shocked to see three teenage boys come running up the stairs, obviously at odds with each other. The bystanders turned into a panicky stampede however when they realised that the teenagers were in the middle of a fight, two of them wielding knives while another had a truncheon.

Heero spun round on the spot, narrowly avoiding another of Garth's stabs at him with the combat knife. He kicked out with his foot during the spin and caught Dominic in the chest. Dominic went sprawling but before Heero could capitalise Garth's knife came slicing up at him. He moved ever so slightly and the blade whizzed past harmlessly. His own knife sliced upwards back at Garth but was deflected by Dominic's truncheon. Heero spun on the spot again, performing a perfect spinning kick, before jumping backwards, away from Dominic and Garth. Garth whistled,

"Now I understand why they put you in the Wing Zero. You're one hell of a man Heero, natural or coordinator." He said with a chuckle. Dominic shook his head,

"But you still can't beat the two of us. No matter how fast you are." He said, twirling the truncheon in his hand. Heero smiled a little,

"Try me." He said without a hint of the humour that the smile promised. Dominic started forwards but Garth held a hand out,

"No. This is a knife fight Dom. You go find that stuck up bitch." He said venomously. Dominic nodded and turned away before running in a random direction. Garth chuckled,

"Can you guess who we're going after Heero?"

Heero's emotions got the better of him and he lowered his guard for a second. That second was all that Garth needed. He threw the combat knife through the air with a grace that did not befit from the alarming power behind the throw. Heero's mouth fell slack when the fiery pain shot through his entire body. Oddly, the only place there was not pain was in his upper left chest area. The place where Garth's combat knife was embedded inside him.

Garth smiled to himself and walked up to the wounded pilot, sure that the combat knife's blade was long enough to cause permanent damage to Heero. He chuckled and grasped the knife by the handle. He watched Heero gasp in pain despite himself as he removed the knife inch by inch. One it was out he looked at the cut in Heero's vest and the huge amount of blood pouring out of it. He chuckled,

"They had so much faith in you. But after all that… you're still just human." He said with a wicked smile. He pushed against Heero's chest, looking to humiliate the pilot more before he died. Heero didn't move. Garth looked up and was rewarded with a heavy fist slamming directly into his nose. Garth fell backwards before crawling backwards, away from the bleeding man in front of him. Heero Yuy was bleeding profusely but he didn't even falter as he took a step towards Garth,

"I'm not going to be beaten that easily Mr Marco." He said. Garth was panicking like no one's business. He'd just stabbed a man in the chest with a knife that went deep enough into the man's chest to puncture a lung and the man was still coming at him, like some unstoppable juggernaut. But Heero Yuy was not without his weaknesses it seemed. As he came walking towards Marco the man smiled when he saw Heero grimace when he breathed in a little bit deeply. Garth crawled back a bit more before getting to his feet again, his knife out in front of him,

"Then I think I should at least die honourably." He waved the knife around in a circle at Heero, "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough boyo!"

Dominic was sprinting through a large park when he realised that he didn't have the slightest clue where to find Lacus and Meer. He stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts when a small noise spurred him into action. He dropped to the grass and rolled off to his side, behind a tree. He refused to breathe while his heart thumped in his ears. He'd been shot at. The shot had been a small sound so it was safe to assume that it had been a tranquiliser gun, for some reason or another they wanted him back alive.

He peered out from behind the tree and was rewarded. The shooter was edging across the empty plain of grass towards his hiding place, a long, thin, rifle in his hands with a thick scope on its top. Tranquiliser gun. The shooter was also someone that Dominic had not expected. The shooter was Shinn. As he watched Shinn was scanning the trees and bushes with his gun's scope,

"Kira! Come on out Kira! We know it's you!" he declared, still scanning the trees. Dominic almost laughed. They still thought he was Kira Yamato, kind of pathetic really. He gripped the truncheon tighter and peered round the tree again. The tree seemed to explode near his eye and Dominic frowned faintly as the splinters rained down into his metal eye. He withdrew behind the tree and brushed the splinters out of the way of his robotic eye. He didn't peer round the tree this time but rather changed the settings on his eyes so that he could see through the tree. Shinn was getting closer to the tree, his gun ready if Dominic wanted to make a run for it. Dominic chuckled to himself.

Shinn edged closer to the edge of the tree, his grip on the gun becoming wetter and wetter with the amount of sweat that he was producing. He'd never really been very good in a hand-to-hand fight and if Kira stood his ground that was what it would become. He braced himself and jumped round the tree's trunk, his trigger finger ready. Kira had disappeared. Shinn looked around quickly with his gun ready but sure enough, Kira had vanished.

Dominic chose his moment perfectly, waiting until Shinn had lowered the gun, before dropping down from the tree's branch, the truncheon waving. The thick baton hit Shinn on the crown of the head and Dominic's body slammed into the other teen's shoulders, sending the pilot to the ground. Dominic wasted no time and was quick to capitalise on this change in roles. Now Dominic controlled the situation and Shinn was at his mercy. But Dominic didn't feel like being merciful.

Shinn was defenceless, pinned down to the ground by the other man kneeling on his shoulders. He could do nothing to stop the onslaught of blows that Dominic dished out. A left hook from a normal fist before the truncheon slammed down into his face again, each blow causing immense pain. He cried out in pain but when he opened his mouth to scream Dominic slammed the truncheon back down, straight into Shinn's vulnerable jaw bone. The bone broke with a sickening _snap!,_ but Dominic gave Shinn no time to recover, continuing with the furious blows, working himself into a mad frenzy. Shinn looked into the cold, heartless orbs of the man's eyes and saw the rest of his face contorted in anger, hatred and a sort of zealous, fanatic, madness. And the last thought he had was a simple one.

_This man cannot possibly be the kind hearted and soft spirited Kira Yamato__. This man is a man possessed by a murderous demon. _

Garth swore before taking a few more leaping steps backwards from the advancing attacker, Heero Yuy. He slashed left and right with his combat knife, now sticky with Heero's drying blood. Heero dodged the blade fluidly, his body twisting into positions that Garth had once thought it impossible for the human body to twist into.

Heero slashed back at Garth once before the other teen renewed his offensive. They were in the courtyard in front of the hotel that Lacus and Meer were staying at. The courtyard was completely made out of concrete and steel but some flours had been planted in raised concrete circles. Heero was going to need them to win this fight. He jumped up on top of one of the concrete circles and beckoned for Garth to follow him up. Garth jumped up a little bit less comfortably than Heero and paid for it.

Heero's knife lashed out at Garth and cut open Garth's cheek. Garth cursed and ducked under another slash to give one of his own. To avoid the slash Heero charged straight at Garth, bringing the two of them closer together. Garth tried an overhead slash but his knife was met by Heero's in mid arc and the two of them stood there, both of them struggling to overpower the other. After a few moments of struggles Heero decided that the struggle was pointless his free hand punched Garth in the stomach, forcing the air to rush straight out of the other man. Garth staggered back a bit, winded, and Heero lashed out with his foot. The kick connected to Garth's chest and the other teen was sent flying off the four foot high concrete bowl.

Heero ran off the edge of the bowl, his knife pointed down to impale Garth on the ground. He was not ready however for the punch that Garth threw at him from his side. Garth had rolled out of the way in the nick of time apparently. Heero dodged another punch by ducking under it. He pressed his new advantage by slamming his shoulder into Garth's unprotected gut. Garth staggered back before slashing at Heero again. Heero's blade met Garth's again and batted it aside. Heero rushed in to press yet another advantage so quickly that he didn't see that Garth was ready for him. Garth's knife came in close to Heero and slashed upwards across his chest, tearing the vest open and making a huge gash appear across Heero's chest.

Garth pushed Heero away from himself, breathing deeply. He watched as Heero sank to his knees, clutching his hands to his soaking chest. Garth shook his head, panting heavily,

"You've lost Mr Yuy. Give it up and let me and Dominic go about our business." He said with a small smile. Heero made no response but bowed over in his kneeling position. Garth scoffed and turned toward the hotel's main doors. He made it less than three feet before he felt a mammoth pain erupt from his left ankle. He fell from his feet with a scream and looked at his ankle to find Heero's knife sticking out of it. He looked up quickly and saw Heero's boot as it slammed into his face, breaking his nose on impact. Garth rolled onto his front and began to crawl away from Heero. He didn't get more than three inches this time before Heero turned him over on the ground. He flinched as Heero removed his knife from his ankle. He looked up as Heero stood over him, a bloody mess of cuts and bruises from their fight. Heero shook his head,

"I will never let either of you harm them." He said slowly, his breathing laboured and blood oozing out of the two wounds on his chest. He pointed the knife at Garth simply, not even trying to hide his intention, "Goodbye Garth Marco."

Garth was ready to give one last witty remark in response when a blurred shape rammed into Heero's side and rolled over onto the floor with him. Garth sat up with some difficulty and saw Dominic and Heero fighting. Dominic's truncheon slammed into Heero's shoulder before the maddened teen thrust his knee up into Heero's gut. He grabbed Heero by his long hair and dragged him over to one of the concrete bowls for the flours. He spat in Heero's face once before slamming the other teen's face into the solid edge of the concrete bowl. After ten slams into the side of the bowl Heero's face was a bloody mess. Dominic simply let go of Heero's hair and the teen slumped a little on his feet before falling to the floor. Dominic turned to Garth and motioned towards the doors to the hotel,

"We've attracted some unwanted attention Garth. Some guards are coming with tranquiliser guns." He looked at the dark pool of blood forming around Garth's left ankle and tilted his head to the left, "Yours or his?"

Garth chuckled a little and got to his feet, wincing as his ankle wound showed its full level of pain,

"Mine. Let's get going." He said simply before limping towards the hotel doors. Dominic grabbed Garth by the shoulder and helped him. When they got to the glass doors of the hotel they found them locked with a security guard behind the desk pointing a gun at them through the glass. Dominic held his hand out and Garth gave him the combat knife. Dominic let go of Garth and smashed the truncheon into the glass door. The door shattered and came falling to the ground, raining glass from the ceiling to the floor. The guard covered his eyes to prevent any glass getting into them and Dominic threw the combat knife. The knife travelled in a swift arc before nestling home in the guard's left eye. The guard screamed as blood spurted from his eye, he dropped the gun, forgetting it existed due to the pain. Dominic strode across the room and grabbed the man by the head with one hand. He grabbed the knife's handle with the other hand and twisted the blade in the man's eye socket,

"Which floor and which room?" he demanded, not even needing to explain who they were after. The security guard screamed in pain but didn't answer. Dominic twisted the knife again,

"Room 367! Floor 3!" he screamed before his words became unintelligent sobs. Dominic pushed the knife in further suddenly and the sobbing and screaming stopped abruptly. Garth was already waiting for him at the lift's entrance. He pushed the button for the third floor before pointing to the guard,

"Throw me his gun would you?" he asked Dominic as he waited patiently for the lift to arrive. Dominic nodded, picked up the pistol and threw it to Garth. Garth nodded his thanks as the lift arrived. Garth got in first before Dominic got in beside him. Dominic pushed the button for the third floor. He turned to speak to Garth while the doors were closing when Garth made an unusual yelping noise. Dominic turned to the doors and saw Heero's knife trapped between the two metal doors. He peered out through the gap in between the doors and saw Heero sprinting, like an Olympic sprinter no less, towards the lift. Dominic waved sarcastically before pushing the close door button. The doors squeezed against the knife until it crumpled and snapped. The doors closed and Heero couldn't be seen anymore. Garth whistled and Dominic looked at his friend oddly. Garth raised his hands,

"You have to give the guy credit. He doesn't give up." He said with a small grin. Dominic nodded slightly,

"Maybe not, but that…" he was interrupted however by the lift's doors opening up onto the third floor to reveal one Heero Yuy standing in the doorway, dripping dark blood onto the immaculate cream carpet. Dominic stopped talking however when Heero's fist slammed into his nose, breaking it and releasing the huge amount of blood in the nose. Heero reached into the lift and pulled Garth out of it so forcefully that Garth slammed into a nearby wall and rebounded off it with the momentum. Before Garth could hit the floor though Heero grabbed him by his hair and the back of his waistband and proceeded to slam his head into the metal fire extinguisher attached to the wall. There was a hollow ring from the extinguisher and Heero threw Garth to the floor.

Dominic's mad charge had not come as a surprise to Heero as he had expected. Heero grabbed the other teen by the waistband of his jeans and flipped him over his back. The air rushed from Dominic's body but Heero wasn't anywhere near done yet. He grabbed one of Dominic's arms and yanked the other teen to his feet. Once on his feet Dominic kneed Heero in the gut to get him to release his arms and punched the other teen repeatedly in the face. Dominic was about to land another punch when Heero ducked under the attack and rammed his shoulder into Dominic's gut and pushing the other pilot as hard as he could.

Heero and Dominic crashed through the solid wood door of suit 358 and the two of them went flying into the living area. Dominic, being pushed wildly backwards by Heero, tripped on the edge of the glass coffee table and the two of them fell straight onto, and through, the glass. Heero was the first to recover and he hauled Dominic to his feet again before grabbing him by his hair and slamming his face into the mirror that hung on the wall closest to them. The mirror shattered like the table and the hotel's door and the jagged edges of the shattered glass cut open Dominic's face.

Heero was about to slam his face back into the broken mirror when Dominic lashed out blindly with his arm and caught Heero in the stomach purely by luck. Heero released Dominic's hair and Dominic capitalised. He grabbed Heero by the arm and flung the other teen across the room and through the balcony's glass door. He ran straight after Heero and before the other teen could stand he slammed Heero's face into the plastic lawn table on the balcony. He pulled Heero upright again before pushing him hard towards the railing that served as the balcony's only security measure. Heero went over the edge of the railing, his hands grabbing hold of the top of the metal rails. Dominic watched with anger as Heero attempted to pull himself back up onto the balcony, seemingly undeterred by the huge amount of damage that his body had suffered. He walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked straight into Heero's eyes,

"What is with you?! I've broken you over and over again and yet you still come back for more! Why can't you just accept that you've lost?!" he screamed in frustrated anger. Heero didn't respond but his eyes glinted with steel. Dominic continued, "You've got to realise that you cannot possibly win! So why… won't… you… DIE?!"

Dominic stamped out with his foot on Heero's fingers and the pilot lost his grip on the railing and fell. Dominic walked to the edge and looked over into time to see Heero hit the edge of one of the concrete bowls, blood showering out of him as he fell to the floor, limp and broken. Dominic sighed to try and calm himself down before walking through the ruined room and back into the corridor. He looked to his left and saw Garth standing in front of a door, the pistol in his hand. Garth cocked his head to the right, Dominic grunted,

"He's dead this time." He confirmed. He stood in front of the door in silence for a moment before Garth rolled his eyes at the door. Dominic nodded and kicked the door once. The door buckled. Garth sighed and Dominic shot him a hostile glance. Dominic kicked the door a second time and the door broke in half and the lock fell uselessly to the floor. Garth limped into the hotel room, the pistol raised. Dominic walked into the living area behind him and stared at the two teenage girls sitting on the room's sofa. The girls were both identical and both looked like Lacus Clyne. Dominic shot Garth another furious look and Garth waved his hand at his friend,

"One is Lacus, the other is a double called Meer." He explained. Dominic looked back at the two girls and something stirred inside him. Garth frowned and looked at his partner, "Are you okay? That Yuy guy did give you a bit of a beating back there."

One of the girls gave an involuntary sob and Garth pointed the gun at the one who hadn't sobbed,

"Bingo. We have a winner. Meer had a thing for that Yuy guy apparently." He explained to Dominic. Dominic looked at the real Lacus for a second before the same thing stirred in him again. His expression softened and he reached out a bloodied hand to touch her,

"Lacus…" he said wistfully, his eyes tearing up. Garth grabbed him by his shoulder and was about to speak when Lacus spoke up,

"Kira… how could you do it?" she asked, herself tearing up. Garth frowned in confusion but Dominic looked down at his feet, "How could you kill Shinn and Heero? They were your friends!"

Garth let of a shot from the pistol and it missed Lacus' head by a few inches,

"Shut up god damn it! He isn't Kira Yamato anymore! He's the killer, Dominic Freedom now!" he shouted at her. He levelled the gun at her again, "Now it's time to die."

Kira reacted quickly, remembering he had the combat knife in his pocket and throwing it all in one lightening moment. The knife flew across the room and sank into Garth's hand. Garth screamed and dropped the gun to the floor. Kira ran across the room and wrapped his arms around Lacus, sobbing away into her shoulder. Garth scowled and swore,

"God damn you Kira Yamato! I'll kill you all!" he grimaced, "I'll kill you all!"

Garth ran from the room, or rather, limped very quickly away. Kira sobbed into Lacus' shoulder as she whispered sweet nothings to him as Meer broke down on the floor and wept for Heero.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 **_**Respite, **_**Z2 **_**Constrict **_**and the Z3 **_**Frustration.**_

How human is human?

Kira looked up into Lacus' eyes, his own vision blurred by the thousands of droplets that had formed in his eyes, just waiting to be released. Lacus looked down at him, smiling weakly and in the background Kira was acutely aware of Meer weeping openly and in abundance. His own tears finally fell from his eyes and he sniffed pitifully,

"I-I failed you Lacus… I killed o-one of my own friends in cold blood… I don't deserve to be in your life anymore…" he sniffed once more before sobbing weakly. Lacus was about to comfort him when a voice came from the hotel room's door,

"My words exactly." Came the calm, cold and emotionless tones. Kira whipped round in an instant and saw something he'd never thought he'd see in a million years. Meer and Lacus saw it as well and Meer's tears changed from tears of anguish to tears of joy. Because in the doorway stood Heero Yuy.

He didn't much resemble Heero Yuy anymore, Kira doubted if he'd have recognised him if he hadn't spoken. He was standing, without wavering or wobbling, in the doorway, the light playing across the sticky red areas of his body. His vest was soaked in blood both from the stab wound to the lung and from other areas of his body. His face was a mess. His nose was bloodied and cut to ribbons; so much so that Kira thought that he could pull it off with very little effort. But his entire face was a mess of deep gashes and fountains of blood.

Lacus was the first to have to force herself not to be physically ill. Even Meer, who was overjoyed by Heero's return, had to stop herself showing the world what she'd had for breakfast. Kira didn't need to stop himself because the feeling never came. He'd seen Heero like this only a few moments before when he had been Dominic. The one causing the horrific injuries. Kira gulped,

"H-Heero… I thought you were…"

"Dead?" finished Heero, his eyes never moving, always staring directly at Kira. Kira gulped under the gaze of the torn apart monster before him. He realised, a little bit offhandedly, that after the fight that Dominic and Heero had had he wasn't about to look too good.

Heero crossed the room in a flash; a second was all it took. His right hand shot upwards with the same, frightening speed. The fingers wrapped themselves around Kira's throat, squeezing his windpipe closed. Kira's own hands shot to throat, clawing desperately at Heero's powerful fingers. He scratched despairingly at the digits but there wasn't an inch of give in their hold. He did, however, manage to worm some of his fingers under Heero's, separating the fingers from his throat to stop his airflow being blocked off entirely.

Kira felt Heero heave and felt his feet were no longer touching the floor. He instinctively began to kick and thrash wildly as his thoughts gathered. _Oh my god! He's lifting me up by my neck! _He thought, his legs still moving fruitlessly. Lacus screamed something at Heero and ran towards the two of them. Heero turned his head so that he was facing Lacus but that Kira couldn't see what he was doing. He watched as Lacus' expressed changed and she stopped dead in her tracks. To his utter horror Lacus nodded once before taking a step back.

Kira didn't have time to react anymore to this development however because Heero started to walk away, still carrying Kira in front of him by the throat. Kira wriggled and thrashed some more but Heero didn't seem to care as he kicked a door behind Kira. There was the sound of smashing glass and the soft touch of the colony's artificial wind. Kira bristled,

"No… Heero don't…!" he pleaded as he looked at the torn up face of the other pilot. Somehow he noticed Heero's nose. It had been hanging onto his face by only a few strands of skin a few moments ago but now it was solidly attached, still bloody, but attached entirely. He frowned and tried to think about it further, only to be interrupted by Heero,

"Why not? You did it to me. I think you deserve a bit of a drop as well." He said icily before raising Kira higher. Kira wriggled desperately,

"Please! Heero…! Don't…!" Was all he managed to say before Heero threw him forwards and downwards by the throat, letting go as he did so. Kira closed his eyelids around the metal orbs in his sockets and screamed as he fell.

The fall was short, something that was understandable to Kira. The artificial gravity would have worked its magic quite easily on his fragile body. But something about the fall had been strange. The impact had been soft. Not what he'd expected at all.

Kira opened his eyes and saw Heero standing over him, smiling pleasantly enough. Kira frowned and Heero pulled him to his feet. He looked around and saw, with his mechanical eyes seeing through his head, that he'd landed on a bed and that he was in a very big bedroom. Complete with air conditioning unit and broken fish tank.

He looked up at Heero again and noticed that one of the horrible gashes on his face had disappeared. He frowned again but Heero patted him on the shoulder,

"And that was my revenge." He said with his characteristic, small smile, "You want a drink?"

Kira shook his head,

"Nah. I just need a bed." He said quietly before falling backwards onto the bed, having obviously fainted. Heero smiled and Lacus and Meer entered, both smiling. Heero looked up from Kira to the girls,

"Poor guy's had enough excitement for one day." He reflected with the same, small, smile.

As he walked back home from his first day in his new job as an ensign in the CLF military Tom was whistling a merry tune. As he strode through the empty streets his heels tapped together in uncontained joy. He was normal now. Sure he was still in the military, although it was a different military, but now he was no different from the next ensign and it felt wonderful.

He wasn't a commander anymore and the weight of the responsibility had been lifted. He had been given an average sized apartment and he lived and worked with Cagali. To his inexperienced mind this was the closest to paradise he was going to ever come across this side of the pearly gates.

A cynical part of him kept reminding him that things often seemed perfect before their destruction. He reigned in that nagging part of his mind as he approached the exterior lift that would carry him up to the flat's front door. He forced himself to smile and try to forget about the feeling as he stepped inside the lift and hit the button.

As the lift rose silently the voice in the back of his mind tried to claw its way back to being the most prominent thought in his mind. But Tom beat it back with more pleasant thoughts. Such as what he was going to cook with Cagali tonight, if they'd open Duo's win first or Shinn's and, of course, how much sleep they'd get. His smiled grew in strength as he realised the answer to the last thought. Not much.

The lift came to a stop and the lift's door's opened, to reveal another pair of doors just in front of the lift with the number 7862 on it. He walked closer to the second pair of doors and typed in the password on the door's locking mechanism. The doors slid open and Tom walked into the small cloakroom before the rest of the house. He took off his coat with a contented sigh and hung it up on one of the spare hooks. He stuck his head out of the cloakroom door to look into the spacious living room. The wood fire was burning away happily and the rest of the room was covered in the relaxing orange glow.

He walked out of the cloakroom silently, his ears attentive and awaiting any slight sound. He smiled when he heard faint sounds of movement from a door across the living room. Cagali was already in the kitchen. He smiled and strode across the room, losing all pretence of stealth. As he walked through the door into the kitchen he realised that Cagali was humming as she cooked. It didn't matter though.

As Tom crossed the short distance between the door and the cooker where Cagali was cooking she heard him and turned to speak to him. Before she could utter a syllable Tom was upon her, forcing his lips onto her's as he pushed her gently into the cooker's edge. He felt her moan, or groan, a little before they both wrapped their arms around each other, pulling each other closer as they met at the lips. Cagali broke the kiss and blew playfully at Tom's nose,

"Nice to see you too Mr Grayson." She said, a smile on her face as they stood their, still entangled in each other's arms. Tom chuckled and dipped his head to her neck. He chuckled again and bit her neck softly,

"Mmmm… Mr Grayson… I like the sound of that… does that mean we're like student and teacher?" he breathed on her neck and watched her shiver before kissing her neck in the same place he'd bitten it, "I think you'd be a good little school girl… or maybe you'd be a bad girl?"

Cagali giggled a little before pushing gently at Tom's stomach,

"Come on Mr Grayson… we need to get back to making dinner." She reasoned, half ready to abandon dinner altogether as Tom was suggesting. Tom pouted a little before breaking out into a large grin,

"Well… alright. But may I ask what we're making?" he asked, kissing her on the neck once again before breaking away from her finally. She smiled and turned around to get back to cooking,

"We're having steak and chips." She said with a smile, "If you'd make the- eee!"

Cagali jumped up in the air, spinning round as she did so. She glared at Tom who was pouting again,

"But it was so tempting… its just so brilliantly shaped and-"

"God! You're impossible!" she screamed with mock frustration. She turned round again to get back to cooking the steak. Tom grinned and wrapped his arms round her from behind. He heard her chuckle and he kissed the back of her neck,

"Would you have me any other way?" he asked. Cagali smiled to herself,

"No… because then you wouldn't be the man I fell in love with." She said slowly. Tom chuckled,

"And the ass I fell in love with is just as perfect as ever." He said, just waiting for her to object. To his surprise she didn't object but rather pushed her backside further into his crotch and wiggled it about a bit. She turned her head to look back at him and winked,

"Perfect as it is you'll have to wait a little bit longer for it." She teased. Tom smiled and slapped it once,

"Well worth the wait."

Duo stood over the body, his face a mask of quiet but contained grief. He nodded to the mortician. The man nodded gravely and pulled the cover back over the body's face. He nodded to Duo again and closed the drawer, shutting the body in the freezer. Duo then followed the man back out of the room and in to another room where they sat down on opposite sides of the man's desk. The mortician sighed, resettling his glasses as he did so,

"Mr Maxwell… I'm very sorry for your loss. I gather he was one of your friends." He said, almost as if he was reading it off of a report made by the military. The man did have a computer screen that Duo couldn't see from this angle so it was entirely possible. He nodded slowly,

"Yes. I was one of his fellow pilots." He confirmed, trying to put the image of the body of his mind. The mortician sighed and resettled his glasses once again,

"I wish there was something I could do to soften the blow…" he said, looking over the desk at Duo with real sadness in his eyes. Duo nodded slightly,

"There is one thing…" he began, aware that his voice was rough and croaking slightly. The mortician nodded eagerly,

"Anything Mr Maxwell." He declared. Duo gave him a weak grin,

"Do you know where the nearest bar is?" he asked. The mortician's face sagged noticeably but he nodded,

"I understand. There is a bar called O'Brien's across the road." He watched as Duo rose to leave, "Take care of yourself Mr Maxwell. I don't want to see a good kid like you in my freezers any time soon."

Duo smiled at the joke and bowed his head to the mortician once more,

"Thanks for your concern." He said simply before leaving the man's office. He walked past the freezer room and, even though the door was shut tight, he felt a chill run up his spine. He walked past several nurses in tight uniforms with pretty faces and didn't stop to flirt with even one of them, something virtually unheard of for him. Even Hilde had grown used to it and even laughed at it herself.

That was another tender area for Duo at the moment. He'd spent so long in this universe that he was afraid he'd never see Hilde again. He definitely didn't want that to happen. He wanted to settle down with her, spend the rest of their natural lives together in the peace that they'd fought so hard to achieve. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. But even as he crossed the street to the bar that the mortician had mentioned he found it harder and harder to conjure up her face in his mind.

He was slowly losing her due to the distance and the time that separated them. He sighed and held the door open for a few other patrons of the bar before entering. He went straight up to the bar and sat down on a stool. The barmaid made her way up to him,

"Now what's a kid doing in a bar? I'd say you were only sixteen and that ain't old enough to drink in here." She observed. Duo looked up, raising his head properly. She was a plump woman with a kind, motherly air about her. He sighed,

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise the laws were different here. I'll just-"

"Hey! You're one of those pilots from the other universe ain't ya?" she laughed and called to the entire population of the bar, "Hey everyone! This guy's one of those pilots from the other universe!"

The entire population of the bar raised their glasses as one and gave a mighty cheer. Duo went red and waved his hand in thanks. The people got the message and went back to their drinks. When Duo looked back at the bar itself there was a pint of some sort of beer in front of him. The motherly barmaid winked at him,

"The least I could do for someone like you." She explained. Duo raised the glass to her,

"Thanks." He said simply before draining the pint glass without pausing for breath, he set the empty glass down on the bar top and sighed. The barmaid chuckled,

"You've definitely got something eating at you if you drank all of that stuff that quick. Want to tell me what's wrong?" she asked pleasantly. Duo sighed again as he rose from the bar stool,

"I lost a friend. He was killed by one of my other friends during… a momentary lapse in logical thinking." He said slowly. The barmaid nodded,

"So one of your friends had some sort of mental break down and killed your other mate, right?" she asked. Duo nodded,

"Split personalities apparently." He explained. The barmaid nodded,

"I know how ya feel. You don't know if you can be angry at the friend who did the killing if he weren't himself at the time." She said, seeming to sense how Duo felt. Duo nodded,

"You said it sister." He said before making his way to the door,

"You gunna tell me the name of the friend who died? Can't do any harm can it?" she asked. Duo stopped in the doorway and nodded,

"I suppose not. His name was Shinn Asuka." He replied. The colour disappeared from the lady's face and everyone in the bar turned to look at him. The barmaid swallowed hard,

"Shinn is dead?" she asked in disbelief. Duo nodded hesitantly,

"Yeah." He said dumbly, only just now realising the gravity of what he'd just said. The people in the bar all seemed to deflate as they went back to their drinks, more determined than ever to drown their sorrows and to forget. The barmaid was close to tears and she threw the pint glass at Duo. He narrowly avoided the glass and it smashed against the wall,

"You get out of here and never show your face around here again, ya hear?!" she yelled after him as Duo made his way down the street, determined to try and leave the bar, and his obvious mistake, behind him. He'd dropped the bombshell to end all bombshells.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 **_**Respite, **_**Z2 **_**Constrict **_**and the Z3 **_**Frustration.**_

**Notice:**** This is my first beta read chapter! Sorry it took longer but I'm told 'its good'. :D**

Never let it slip away

Tom awoke with the contented sigh that he'd fallen asleep with the night before. He was underneath the bed covers, warm and prepared to just lay motionless in the bed for the rest of his days. But he was only at this level of peace and serenity because of the woman sharing the bed with him. She was curled up in front of him, and it was only now that he became aware of the fact that he was curled up to her as well.

His fingers slowly ran along the woman's skin from thigh to shoulder, watching happily as she sighed in her sleep. He dipped his head forwards and planted a kiss on the base of her neck. She chuckled slightly in his sleep, opening her eyes and turning her head to look at Tom,

"I thought you'd had enough for one night…" she commented sleepily. Tom smiled and kissed the back of her neck again while caressing her smooth frame with his fingers again,

"But I did… get enough… last night…" he said, interrupting himself to kiss Cagalli's neck every so often. Cagalli turned her head again and groaned when she saw the time,

"Aww… we've got to be at work in an hour though…" she complained. She turned to face Tom again but he met her half way, with a forceful kiss. Cagalli groaned into the kiss as Tom gently pushed her onto her back and positioned himself above her. He broke the kiss with a smile,

"We can both call in sick." He suggested before dipping down again to nibble on her earlobe. Cagalli moaned a little,

"Both of us at the same time? They'd never fall for it." She declared, getting sadder that they had to work instead of spending more 'quality time' together. Tom grinned,

"We can blame it on food poisoning from badly cooked steak…" he suggested and was rewarded with a light smack on the arm from Cagalli, and a glare that melted way when he kissed her again. Once again Tom broke the kiss but this time he reached into the bucket on the bedside table, moving the empty bottle inside aside as he fumbled around inside. Cagalli frowned but Tom smiled and brought out an ice cube. He watched with a grin as Cagalli tensed slightly. He smiled comfortingly and ran the ice cube across her left shoulder,

"Just lay back and enjoy yourself Miss Atha…" he ordered with a smile. He brought the ice cube slowly down between her breasts and watched as her body reacted to the cold object's gentle touch. He continued to guide the cube downwards in a snaking trail until it melted near Cagalli's navel. He looked up from his work to see Cagalli watching him intently. Tom winked at her once before moving back up to her shoulder. His fingers then slowly traced the trail of the water down to his smooth, flat, stomach where his tongue finished the job with loving attention to detail. He looked up at Cagalli again and winked a third time,

"My tongue is ten centimetres from giving you paradise m'am. Should I continue or stand down?" he asked in a joking voice. Cagalli smiled and brought her hand up in a salute,

"Carry on soldier." She said with a small giggle. Tom smiled,

"As you wish m'am."

Kira awoke slowly, his head still aching unbearably. He closed his eyes again and groaned. He heard hushed voices and opened his eyes again, more reluctantly now he knew that the light hurt his brain. He turned his head to the left and saw Lacus and Cagalli sitting in two chairs across the room. He couldn't make out anything they were saying but from the exaggerated hand gestures and Lacus' growing blush he assumed that the conversation was 'interesting' to say the least.

He tried to sit up in bed but stopped when he felt a small area of discomfort on the back of his right hand. He glanced down and saw the place where the drip entered his wrist and joined the vein. After sitting up again, this time without using his right hand, and swung his legs out of the bed. Kira got unsteadily to his feet and made his way over to the girls. He stopped halfway however to stop the drip being pulled out of his wrist. He coughed politely. Lacus jumped and her face turned crimson, while Cagalli merely laughed at Lacus' reaction. Kira raised an eyebrow,

"Good conversation?" he asked with a grin. Lacus' face attempted to become even more crimson than the colour crimson,

"W-we were… j-just having a bit of girl talk and… um…" she looked to Cagalli for help,

"I was telling Lacus about how well Tom fucked me this morning." Cagalli said plainly. Lacus' face went even redder until Kira could feel the heat that her face was generating. This just made Cagalli warmer while she laughed. Kira himself went bright red,

"That was… um… very vulgar of you Cagalli." He said, his face growing redder by the second. Lacus nodded her approval but didn't trust herself to speak. Cagalli folded her arms across her chest.

"You two are no fun at all," She said with a pout and a sigh. Lacus found her voice again at that moment it seemed,

"C-Cagalli? Can you… leave us alone for awhile?" she asked nervously. Cagalli raised an eyebrow questioningly, "About… private matters…"

Cagalli finally got the hint and winked at Lacus,

"Way to think on your feet Lacus! Get some while his mind is on it!" she declared loudly with a chuckle. On her way out of the room Cagalli patted a clueless Kira on the back.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, Kira still confused as to why Cagalli left and Lacus still thinking of what to say. Before the silence could become tense Lacus spoke,

"Kira… um… would you ever… consider… um… making… oh god…um… making love to me… like Tom and Cagalli do?" she asked nervously. Kira's jaw dropped of its own accord. He breathed in and out but couldn't seem to get enough oxygen to breathe. He coughed a little,

"W-well… you're a beautiful woman and… um… almost any man would… err… want to have… sex… with you." He stammered out eventually. Lacus went even more crimson.

"But… sex and… making love… are different." She smiled a little, "Making love is sex with the only objective being to give your partner pleasure…"

Kira nodded slowly,

"Then… yes. Of course I'd make love to you." He watched as Lacus breathed in deeply and smiled before quickly adding, "When I'm ready I mean."

Lacus visibly deflated and her smile disappeared,

"I understand… we need to develop emotionally first." She said with a tinge of sadness. Kira laughed,

"Actually I meant physically. I don't think it would be good to make love with one broken wrist, a dislocated shoulder and three bruised ribs." He smiled, "Making love is not an excuse to require even more medical attention."

The lives of thousands of people, naturals and coordinators alike, was playing out just out of reach for Meer as she stood out on the balcony of the hotel's highest room. The lights of the city bellow shone and dazzled her with their unnatural beauty. But that wasn't what was making her stand there in the artificial cold of the colony's 'night'. She was there to simply stare in wonder at all of the people who were living their lives below, unaware of how close they'd come to being wiped out of existence. And they would have been, had it not been for six pilots.

The six pilots that had dedicated their lives to protecting them. Even those who'd only known of their plight for a few weeks had pledged their lives to the cause. For the freedom of an entire race, an entire generation. And now, of course, there were only five of the six remaining. As far as the public of the colony knew, Shinn Asuka was dead, Heero Yuy was dead and the one to kill them had been Kira Yamato. So that left only three pilots for the public to look to for inspiration and hope. Duo Maxwell, Tom Grayson and Cagalli Athha. The trouble there was that Tom and Cagalli wanted a nice, peaceful, life for as long as they could. This left only Duo.

Somehow Meer knew that fate would leave Duo to be the lone pilot, still fighting, of the six. Somehow she knew that fate would leave the most ill-suited of them all to fight for the lives of thousands. What happened next she knew must happen but she didn't want it to happen. The colony would be attacked again by a bigger force, there was no doubt about that, and Duo would be the only one able to fight. And, as was so often the case of lone soldiers fighting armies, he would perish.

The cold wind generated by the colony's weather systems played across her skin like a thousand points of a thousand daggers. That was until the wind suddenly seemed to move around her body instead. She looked to her right and saw Heero, standing tall beside her as he too looked out across the city. The wind played with his hair and threw it from side to side, even into his eyes occasionally. But Heero didn't move to stop his hair. He was too focused on staring out at the people living out their lives below them.

Heero raised his arm and Meer went to him, slipping under his arm to wrap both arms around him from the side as he put his arm around her shoulders. They looked out at the lights of the city together, both of them just content to listen to each other breathe. Heero eventually spoke,

"I don't want to hide from them Meer." He said softly, soft enough for someone to confuse his voice for the wind. But Meer had gotten to know Heero well enough to know what he was thinking, even if it was uncertain to him. Meer sighed,

"I know Heero. But it is for the best. For now anyway." She said, still not quite sure if it was the right answer. Heero shook his head,

"So Lacus and the generals want me to be dead even though the enemy are bound to be preparing another, larger, assault force to extract Marco?" he asked, knowing that the answer would be the same as it had been the last time he'd asked.

"Yes. They want you to recover fully before coming back to active duty," she said, still reading off of the mental tick list the generals had made her memorise. Heero frowned,

"You mean they want me out of the way until they can find out what I am?" he asked, knowing the answer even though it was a question he hadn't voiced aloud before. Meer sighed and nodded again,

"They're scared Heero. Can you blame them?" she asked, "By all rights you should be dead. But you're not. And all of your injuries have healed up in the space of one day, Heero. That's something they're afraid of."

Heero nodded.

"They don't know if I'm some sort of superior coordinator or just some… some…" he frowned when he couldn't think of a word to describe how coldly the generals had acted towards him.

"Demon?" Meer suggested. Heero nodded.

"It's the way they lock me up in a hotel room with over fifty armed guards positioned inside the building and seven snipers ready to shoot me dead if I do anything suspicious on the balcony." He said, showing remarkable knowledge of his new prison. Meer's eyes scanned the surrounding rooftops despite herself and clung to Heero more tightly. Heero gave her a squeeze.

"But there is still one thing I don't understand Meer." He said quietly, breaking the silence, "Why did you choose to be locked up in here with me?"

Meer chuckled and rested her head on Heero's shoulder,

"Because I love you dummy." She responded, before closing her eyes and just enjoying being with him. Heero thought for a moment before reaching a decision that reflected his own, buried, emotions.

"I love you too Meer."

The glass shattered into hundreds of deadly shards and lethal points when the man's head collided with the mirror. His head was pulled backwards by a powerful jerk on his hair. He whimpered pitifully but stopped abruptly when Garth's fist slammed into his gut. Garth let go of the man's hair and let him fall to the floor on his knees,

"You're pathetic. All of you coordinator scum are the same!" he bellowed before delivering a savage kick to the man's ribs. "You think you're gods! But I have seen Gods and you are nowhere close to them!"

Garth grabbed hold of a handful of the man's hair again and dragged him across the tiled bathroom floor. He yanked upwards and the man rose to his feet. Garth looked the man straight in the eyes. The man quivered in fear and looked down at the sink in front of him to avoid looking Garth in the eye. Garth chuckled dryly.

"Answer my questions and you won't find out how much pain I can deliver to you with a public restroom sink." He said. As he spoke the man's eyes lolled backwards. Garth gave a tug on the man's hair and his eyes snapped back. "Where is Kira Yamato?"

The man looked at Garth with seething hatred,

"I will never tell you wh-" he began but was cut off when the sink's edge seemed to move into his jaw at high speed. Garth heard a _crack!_ and pulled the man's head back up,

"Going to tell me now?" he asked. The man scowled despite his broken jaw,

"Never." The man replied resolutely. Garth nodded,

"I understand." He said. He kicked the man in the ankles with his right foot and pushed the man's head. The man fell forwards onto the sink and carried on through it. He fell flat on his face and Garth knelt down beside him.

"Going to tell me where to find him now?"

"Y-yes…" the man groaned. Garth chuckled,

"I had a feeling you might." He said as he grabbed the same tuff of hair, "Well?"

"He's in a high security medical facility…" the man said through a mouth full of teeth and porcelain chips. Garth sighed,

"A lost cause then. Sorry Dominic, maybe another time." He refocused on his mission and pulled on the man's hair again. "What about Heero Yuy?"

"Heero Yuy has been put under house arrest until the scientists discover what he really is…" the man said, blood pouring from his mouth as the porcelain chips cut at his cheeks. Garth chuckled.

"The fools think he's some sort of monster." He once again refocused on the mission at hand. "Alright… where is Tom Grayson?"

The man chuckled a little.

"I've told you what the generals told me to tell you. I have nothing to tell you about Grayson." He said with a ghost of a smile. Garth smiled back.

"Oh yes. You thought I didn't know you were a spy didn't you?" he said mockingly. The man's face dropped. "You won't live to tell the generals anything about me unless you tell me about Grayson though. Where is he?"

The man spat blood onto the floor,

"I'll never tell you…" he cried. Garth pulled the man to his feet by his hair again and sighed.

"You should really stop using that word, 'never'. It's hazardous to your health." He said, throwing the man into the side of one of the wooden bathroom stalls. The man sighed with relief when he only thudded against the wood. Garth smiled. "You thought that was it?"

He jumped up and brought his feet up. The standing dropkick was perfectly executed and it sent the man flying through the stall's wall in a flurry of splinters. Garth got back to his feet and brushed himself down before walking into the stall. He grabbed the man's hair again.

"Same question." He said simply. The man managed to scowl again.

"Never." He said his voice thick with pain. Garth dragged the man by the hair over to the toilet. He rested the side of the man's head on the rim of the toilet before resting the plastic seat on top of his head. Garth's foot then slammed down on the plastic, driving the man's head further into the porcelain. He did it again and again until blood began to run freely from the man's ears and he was screaming in pain. Garth lifted the toilet seat and grabbed him by the hair again. He pulled the man off of the toilet's rim and slapped his face a couple of times to get him to refocus his eyes,

"Same question." He watched as the man's face sagged a little,

"Grayson… is living a in flat with… Cagalli…" the man revealed. Garth grinned,

"Where is this flat?" he asked the man. The man stayed quiet. Garth frowned and waved his hand in front of the man's eyes. No response. He looked at the blood coming from the man's ears and groaned,

"Coordinators, heads like blooming tomatoes."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration.**

**Notice:**** Three weeks have past since the last chapter (in the story's time zone). Just so no one loses track ;)**

**Special thanks to all of you patient readers and my excellent beta reader, **_**Xx-Erin-xX-AthrunxCagallifan**_**. Onwards and upwards kiddies! Revelations and expectations to write! **

And power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth

Duo shook his head.

"Are you telling me that Garth Marco is still at large?" he asked the generals sat across the table from him. Heero, sitting beside Duo, sighed.

"He killed your spies didn't he?" Heero asked. The generals nodded solemnly as one. Duo sighed and put his head in his hands. He looked back up at the generals.

"So… you want us to find and kill him." Duo stated all pretences of a question in his words gone before they were even fully formed. The generals shuffled nervously in their seats. Heero nodded slowly.

"And that's why you've let me out of house arrest." He continued from where Duo had left off. One of the generals frowned.

"Now hold on there Mr Yuy. You were never under house arrest you were only-"

"Locked in a hotel room with all possible exits surrounded by armed guards?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "Very nice welcome from a five star hotel."

Duo chuckled.

"Leave it to Heero to joke about death," he said, wiping a fake tear from his eyes. He suddenly stopped chuckling and grew serious again. "Alright, first things first… were any of your men given the locations of Heero, Kira and Tom?"

The generals shared a look. Heero laughed bitterly.

"You trusting fools!" he bellowed, slamming his fist onto the table, scaring Duo and the generals. "Do you people not know anything about espionage?!"

The generals avoided his gaze. Duo's eyes widened.

"Did you even bother training them to develop selective memories?" he asked his pace quickening. Once again all five of the generals avoided looking directly at the pilots. Duo's face sank. "You mean to tell me that all of these 'spies' will have told Garth everything they know?"

Another of the generals opened his mouth.

"I must protest. Our spies might not have-"

"MIGHT?! Might not have?" Heero shouted across the table, making the water in the jug ripple with the power of his voice alone. "He knows everything about your organisation now!"

The general who had spoken lowered his head in shame. Heero was still shaking with anger and Duo had to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder until he was sure he wouldn't suddenly pull his pistol out and kill all five of the incompetent generals. Duo waited until Heero had calmed down before letting go of his friend.

"We'll need to form a tight security barrier of your most trusted and hardened men. Fifty men teams for Kira, Lacus and Meer," he dictated, slipping into the role of the leader even though the generals held higher rank in this universe. The generals nodded and one of them coughed.

"What about Grayson?" he asked. Duo thought for a moment before shaking his head,

"No. It would be better if they remained in hiding. That is… unless your men knew where they lived?" his eyes darted around the room, glancing at each of the generals harshly before moving onto the next. Heero growled.

"I think we should give Tom and Cagalli a team, as well," he said suddenly. Duo blinked.

"But they're in hiding. Giving them a surveillance team will just alert Garth to their location," he argued. Heero shook his head,

"No. He already knows where they live. He's already gotten an inside man," he explained. The generals all gasped and spoke to their aides through their earpieces. Duo leaned in closer to Heero.

"Why didn't you tell me this?!" he hissed. Heero shrugged.

"I didn't know which one of them it was. Until now," he said simply, his hand slowly slipping his pistol out of its holster. Duo's eyes widened.

"His inside man is one of the generals?" he hissed urgently. Heero nodded and pointed under the table at the general on the far right, talking in hushed whispers to someone over his earpiece. Duo nodded, "Wait for my signal to shoot."

Heero nodded and Duo stood up with a dazzling smile. The generals cut short their respective conversations and stared at Duo, attentive. Duo smiled.

"Good news my friends…" He waved with his left hand. Heero jumped up from his seat onto the table. The traitor had been waiting for his inevitable discovery and so drew his own pistol quickly. He loosed three shots as Heero flew through the air, two of which flew past him, while the other grazed his neck. The man threw himself out of his chair when he realised that Heero wasn't down and burst out into the corridor. Heero didn't bother using the door but rather ran straight through the glass wall to emerge in the corridor. He aimed his pistol down the corridor but couldn't get a clear shot. He glanced quickly out of the window and saw a window cleaner's ledge just outside the window. He took his chances and launched himself through yet another pane of glass, grabbing hold of one of the platform's loose ropes as he did so. The rope spun with Heero's added weight and swung away from the building, giving him a better view of the target, running past the windows of the thirteenth floor. He shot once and a single window shattered into a million pieces. The general slumped to the floor. Heero breathed deeply as he swung the rope back to the window cleaner's platform. He landed and sank to his knees. The window cleaner looked at him in shock and Heero merely waved politely.

Back in the meeting room Duo's smile had grown larger.

"We seem to have eliminated the inside man."

Kira walked through the corridors of the underground facility with a sense of dread. The last time he'd been down here he'd been Dominic Freedom. And it had not been a pleasant experience. Although he was fairly confident that with Lacus holding his hand as the scientist lead the way they wouldn't try and torture him right at this minute.

The scientist stopped in front of another stretch of blank, grey wall. The only difference was a keypad set into the wall. The scientist tapped at the keypad a couple of times and waited. Kira frowned and looked to Lacus who was only smiling pleasantly. Obviously this part of the colony was not a mystery to her.

The scientist coughed and Kira looked back at the wall to find that a small section of the wall had been replaced with an open elevator. The scientist was already standing inside the small, boxlike, room. Lacus lead the way and Kira followed her into the elevator.

The ride downwards in the elevator was a strange one. Neither Lacus nor the scientist spoke and somehow Kira knew that he preferred it that way for the time being. This place was scaring him enough without them telling him what was going to happen. That would just make him worry about it even more.

The elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened again. The scientist led the way into a large, grey, room. The walls were bare apart from a few towering blocks of machinery and computer hardware. There was also a single desk where the scientist sat down and began typing away at the keyboard. But none of these things was as strange to Kira as the massive, freestanding, mirror in the centre of the room. As Kira approached the mirror he became aware that Lacus had let go of his hand. He looked up and saw her stand next to the scientist's desk, holding a few medical pads with wires trailing from them.

"We're going to run a simple exercise with you Kira," Lacus explained. She walked up to him and began to stick the pads to various parts of his body. "We are going to let you see deep into your own mind."

Kira frowned slightly as he helped Lacus attach some of the other pads.

"And what do we want to find in my mind?" he asked sceptically. Lacus sighed.

"I'm not going to lie to you Kira." Her face grew hard. "We need you to find Dominic Freedom and we need you to talk to him."

Kira froze to the spot. Dominic Freedom. Dominic was the reason that the colony no longer trusted him. Dominic was the one who'd brutally murdered Shinn and tried to do the same with Heero. Dominic was the one who'd nearly killed Lacus and Meer. Kira swallowed hard and nodded.

"Alright. What do you want me to ask him?" he asked eventually. Lacus smiled and squeezed his hand gratefully.

"We will tell you them once you've established contact. Okay?" She looked with concern into Kira's eyes. Kira smiled nervously,

"If I come out of this with my mind intact… can we both agree that we make love tonight?" he asked, blushing slightly. Lacus went red but nodded and kissed him on the forehead. Kira smiled a little more confidently. "Alright then! Start this bad boy up!"

He came to wish, only a few hours later, that he hadn't said those last five words.

Tom opened his eyes to meet the first rays of the sun's light. And the barrel of a rifle. His hand immediately went for the pistol he kept underneath his pillow. The man holding the rifle chuckled and waved his pistol in front of him. Tom growled angrily and the man chuckled even more

"You always were like a rabid dog Tom," came the familiar voice of the gun's owner. Tom's blood nearly froze in his veins.

"G-Garth?" he asked, his breath coming in short gasps. Garth nodded, stepping out of the way of the window so that Tom could see his handsome but twisted face.

"That's right buddy boy. I've come to collect what's mine," he declared triumphantly. Tom growled again but felt something stir beside him in the bed. Both Tom and Garth looked at the shape under the covers. Cagalli poked her head out from under the covers and looked at the two men with sleepy eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw that Garth was pointing a rifle at Tom's face. She moved closer to Tom, hugging him as she clutched the blanket around her body to hide her it from the stranger pointing the gun. Garth laughed.

"Good morning Princess." He pretended to bow. "A pleasure to meet you again."

Cagalli frowned and clung to Tom even tighter.

"Do I know you?" she asked venomously. Garth placed his free hand over his heart.

"Cagalli! I'm hurt!" he looked at Tom, "You haven't told her about our relationship yet Tom?"

Cagalli looked at Tom to find him scowling at the man.

"What relationship? You're just a sick monster Garth. You always were," he said with another angry growl. Garth scowled back.

"And you were always a rabid dog. And like a rabid dog… you never knew when to shut your mouth and let me speak," he spat back. Tom spat at Garth,

"You don't scare me Garth. You're a weakling and a-"

"SILENCE!" he bellowed. Tom's mouth shut instantly. Cagalli watched in horror as Tom tried with all his might to open his mouth but was unable to do so. Cagalli looked up at Garth in a blind panic.

"What have you done to Tom?!" she demanded. Garth smiled,

"I gave him an order. Permission to speak Tom," he said calmly.

"You rotten piece of horseshit-!"

"Okay. No talking stick for you," Garth said with a grin. Tom scowled again but was once again unable to speak. Garth raised an eyebrow. "Will you promise to behave yourself?"

Tom's scowl deepened but he nodded. Tom opened his mouth slowly and opened and closed it repeatedly to make sure it worked as he told it to. Cagalli frowned.

"So… you're from Blue Cosmos?" she asked Garth. Garth opened his mouth to speak but Tom beat him to the punch.

"He IS Blue Cosmos." He continued to scowl even when Garth smiled and Cagalli frowned. "This is Chairman Marco. Garth Marco, executive director and majority shareholder of Blue Cosmos."

Garth once again gave his sarcastic bow.

"At your service, my lady," he said mockingly. Tom chuckled.

"And he still thinks he's a god." He replied mockingly. Garth grew serious,

"Oh no Tom." He shook his head. "I have seen Gods. And I am not one of them. There are only four gods in existence. And you've met them all Cagalli."

Cagalli frowned and even Tom's scowl turned to a confused frown. Garth smiled again.

"But I digress. Time to go Tom, fall out," he commanded. Tom immediately got out of bed, slipping out of Cagalli's arms and standing to attention at the base of the bed. Garth smiled at Tom. "Time to go, Tom."

He looked at Tom again.

"Get dressed first though."

Kira stood looking at his own reflection except he wasn't seeing it as though he was looking into the reflective surface of a mirror. His reflected self was as real and three dimensional as he was and the area behind him was not a direct copy of what Kira knew was behind him. The reflection was also pacing up and down in front of Kira while he stood completely still. The reflection frowned.

"Why are **you** here?" the reflection asked, its voice harsh and coarse. Kira coughed a little and the reflection gave a short, barking, laugh. Kira frowned but continued.

"Are you Dominic Freedom?" he asked nervously. The reflection stopped pacing and gestured around at the fire and brimstone that surrounded him.

"See anyone else around here?" he asked mockingly. Kira frowned,

"A simple yes or no would have been enough," he said. Dominic nodded.

"It would have been. But it wouldn't have been as sarcastic," he reasoned. Kira relented on that point and nodded.

"I suppose not," he agreed. Dominic tilted his head to the left, mimicking what Garth had used to do when he was posing as 'Smiles'. Kira gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger.

_Kira? We need you to ask him about what happened when Dominic and Garth were repairing each other. What did Garth tell Dominic about his plans?_came Lacus's voice from behind Kira, seemingly from far away but at the same time resoundingly clear in its message. Kira nodded.

"Alright. Dominic… what happened when-"

"When I and Garth first fixed each other? I heard Lacus as well," he said with a scowl. Kira frowned, trying reign in his anger.

"Then why don't you tell me then?" he asked through gritted teeth. Dominic thought for a second before shrugging.

"I can't see any reason why I shouldn't tell you," he smiled, "Garth told me his whole plan. Start to finish."

Kira smiled eagerly.

"And? What is his plan?" he asked excitedly. Dominic didn't answer for a moment and when he did he was looking off somewhere in the distance, almost absent-mindedly.

"You know what I've missed? Fresh air. I know the colony's air is recycled over and over so it isn't actually _fresh_ but it felt like it to me," he said wistfully. Kira frowned.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" he demanded from his double. Dominic suddenly fixed his gaze with Kira's.

"I want out Kira," he said, his eyes burning with intensity. "I don't want to spend another second in this wasteland! I don't want to be repressed anymore. I. Want. Out."

Kira shook his head.

"You tried to kill Lacus, Meer and Heero." He scowled at his double, "I'm never letting you out."

Dominic frowned a little.

"Heero lived?" he grunted. "Then I guess Garth's theory does have some merit."

Kira frowned yet again.

"What theory?" he asked. Dominic looked back at Kira.

"Not without my freedom," he insisted. Kira spat at Dominic's feet.

"I've already told you. Never," he replied with a scowl. Dominic shrugged.

"Alright, but it's your fault when Garth's plan is a success," he said with a small smile. Kira growled at him.

"You're going to use that as a bartering chip to strike a deal for your freedom? How do I know that you know anything about Garth's plan?" he asked sceptically. Dominic shrugged.

"You'll have to trust me. After all… why would I lie? You'd be able to tell if I was lying and keep me in here forever if I did lie," he said. Kira frowned.

"I would be able to tell if you lied?" he asked. Dominic rested his head in his hands.

"Shit. You didn't know that part yet," he complained to himself. Kira frowned.

"Okay," he said simply. Dominic looked up at Kira again.

"Okay what?" he asked. Kira rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll give your freedom back if you tell me Garth's plan," he explained. Dominic nodded.

"Basic power sharing agreement I assume? I get the body when you allow me to but you reserve the right to take over at any time," he explained. Kira nodded.

"I didn't know there were terms like that for it but yeah. That's fine," he agreed. Dominic slapped himself.

"Shit. You didn't know that bit either," he sighed. "But alright. A deal is a deal."

Kira smiled excitedly.

"You'll tell me Garth's plan?" he asked. Dominic rolled his eyes.

"No. I'll tell you how to make Belgium chocolate. Of course his plan you twit!" he sighed again. "This is going to be hard if you insist on having the intelligence of a five year old."

Kira growled.

"Just give me the gist of his plan so I can get out of here," he said, rolling his eyes. Dominic held up two fingers.

"So that **we** can get out of here," he corrected Kira. Kira nodded.

"The deal is sealed as soon as you give me the gist of the plan. I'll go over it with you and Lacus in detail later. Right now we need to know why he's kidnapped Tom from his flat," he explained. Dominic froze.

"He already has Grayson?" He swore and began to pace frantically. "What about Heero and Duo? Has he got to them yet?"

Kira shook his head.

"Not that I'm aware of," he replied. Dominic swore again and continued to pace up and down.

"Garth's plan needs all of us to succeed where he had failed time and time again." Dominic explained, "He needs a mixture of our DNA, Duo's DNA, Tom's DNA and Heero's DNA to complete his experiment."

Kira shook his head in confusion, completely at a loss.

"So… what does he need all four of our DNA for?" he asked. Dominic stopped in his tracks and smiled.

"What has Blue Cosmos been trying to do since its birth Kira?" he asked. Kira shrugged.

"The death of all coordinators?" he suggested. Dominic shook his head wildly.

"NO!" he chuckled madly. "No! Blue Cosmos' ultimate goal has always been to make the regular human race the most genetically enhanced and superior in the universe."

He sighed when Kira still looked blank.

"They tried exterminating all of the coordinators but they failed. The coordinators learnt quickly how to evade detection." He began pacing again, "So Garth began his experiments to create humans that were better than coordinators."

He stopped and smiled at Kira,

"His only success was Tom Grayson." He grinned manically. "Tom Grayson is a perfect being Kira. Not emotionally of course. And Garth had to mess with his mind so that he remained in control but he realised that he'd created something that only exists in legends and only exists in a few, selected, beings."

Kira frowned.

"If Tom is the perfect being then why does he need Duo, Heero and us?" he asked. Dominic smiled.

"To improve perfection. You see Kira… we are all perfection incarnate," Dominic explained with the type of passion that only a fanatic could posses. Kira frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked, perplexed. Dominic's smiled grew in size.

"Deus no vir," he stated. Kira didn't look anymore clued in so Dominic smiled even more. "God made man."

Kira frowned.

"What are you saying?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing. Dominic nodded.

"Believe it Kira." He walked up to Kira and grabbed hold of his hand. "We are gods in this universe."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration.**

**Notice:**** The next chapter will be set four weeks into the future. I'm still ill so don't expect it to be any quicker than this chapter. Just be thankful that this series is nearing its end phase. I hope to finish this series in four chapters, not including the teaser for the sequel. **

**Apologies:**** Sorry for taking too long. I was thinking about renaming it Chinese Democracy but it struck me that Axl Rose is the kinda guy who sues :P **

Of Gods and Men

"Gods?" Kira asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically, "Are you sure you haven't been in here too long Dominic?"

"You're still sceptical about your destiny even after all of the signs?" Dominic countered, back to pacing up and down once again. Kira nodded,

"Of course. There is only one God." He insisted. Dominic stood still long enough to sigh before beginning his pacing anew,

"So then… you have missed the signs right before you." Dominic concluded sadly. Kira frowned,

"What signs? What do you expect me to see Dominic? All I see are thousands of people living their lives as humans. Not gods." He persisted. Dominic's face split into a wide, unnerving, grin,

"Heero." Dominic said, his grin growing when Kira continued to look confused, "He survived Kira. He came back for more after wounds that meant certain death. I threw the guy out of a window and he comes back up with enough strength to scare you the way he did. His wounds healed while you watched Kira. Is that not divine in nature? Can a human do that?"

Kira nodded reluctantly,

"Okay… but what gave you these mad thought about the rest of us?" he asked, still in a heightened state of confusion. Dominic sat down on the floor and motioned for Kira to do the same, which he did. Very reluctantly. Dominic stopped grinning and tilted his head to the left,

"Do you not think it strange how you all happened to meet up?" Dominic asked, continuing before Kira could respond, "The portals were a means to met an end, not random occurrences. It was the portals that brought you together. It was the portals that sent you on the path to discover your destiny."

Kira smiled, spying a hole in Dominic's theory,

"But what about Tom? Destiny didn't bring him along as well." He said smugly. It was Dominic's turn to smile and Dominic's turn to see a flaw in a theory,

"So it was just a coincidence that it was his ship that you first fought in this universe? It was coincidence that the first human life you found was Tom?" Dominic asked while rolling his eyes to answer his own question. Kira frowned and scrunched his eyes closed,

"Okay… so you're telling me that there are four gods? And that I am one of them?" Kira asked, now in the dark in more ways than one with his eyes shut. Dominic chuckled at his mirror self,

"You are one of the Gods. But there are five, not four." He explained. Kira laughed,

"Let me guess… you're a God too!" he declared before Dominic nodded and the laughter started anew. Dominic waited until Kira was finished before continuing,

"Yes I am Kira." He sighed and grew serious, "Each of us has areas of power. Heero, for example, is the God of war. This allows him to never be defeated in battle, provided he has a mission to complete. Understand?"

Kira nodded,

"If insane ramblings can be understood." He conceded. Dominic scowled but continued,

"Duo is the God of Death. This means he reaps souls and is unstoppable when fighting with Heero by his side." Dominic sighed again, "Tom is more complicated. He is the God of man, the first man-made God. All of his senses and reactions are insanely high, even for a coordinator."

"Here comes more insanity…" Kira interrupted. Dominic scowled again,

"I am the God of retribution. I have the power to find anyone who needs to be brought to justice and the conviction to kill them." His eyes glinted in the dim light from the fires behind him, "And you are the God of Justice. Ever fair and just, your power is to be undefeatable while you pursue justice."

Kira frowned,

"And I can tell you're speaking the truth…" he mused. Dominic blinked, slightly shocked,

"Really? How?"

"You told me how ten minutes ago."

"I did? Damn."

The three count was made.

The explosives around the door exploded and the door fell out of its frame. Duo and Heero rushed through the dust shrouded doorway, guns at the ready as they quickly scanned the large, empty, plain of the warehouse. It was a huge building, easily as big as four aircraft hangers, and it was totally empty.

Heero waved his hand and the twenty soldiers they'd brought with them filed in behind him, awaiting orders. Heero gestured towards the three doors on the opposite wall of the warehouse. They made their way over to the doors quickly and silently. When they arrived at the target wall they divided, the soldiers into two separate groups, each taking a door, and Duo and Heero took the last remaining door.

The three count was made again.

Heero kicked the door with such ferocity that Duo almost had to cover his eyes with his arms because of the amount of splinters that flew from the door. He managed to keep himself together though and charged through the remains of the door,

"Duo Maxwell! Everyone on the floor!" he screamed as he scanned the room. He was in the warehouse's bathroom it appeared. And although there were people in the bathroom they had long ago lost the ability to get to the floor.

Heero walked in behind Duo and he shook his head when he saw the destroyed bathroom and the pile of mutilated human corpses in the corner. Duo spat out once and Heero noticed that it was more of Duo's breakfast than his saliva. Duo grunted,

"Let's check on the other teams…" he said absently. No sooner had he said it than several gunshots could be heard from somewhere else in the warehouse. Heero dropped to his knees and walked over to the destroyed door, using the wall as cover. He peered out into the main floor of the warehouse. He pulled his head back behind the wall as a hail of bullets peppered the other side of the wall, sending lumps of broken plaster and plaster dust cascading down on top of Heero. Duo smiled a little from near one of the broken sinks,

"Situation?" he asked. Heero grinned,

"Absolutely hopeless. Fifty. All with automatic weapons." He explained. But rather than discouraging Duo this number seemed to amuse him,

"Only fifty? You could take fifty on your own." He declared. Heero nodded as he took another pistol out of a holster on his back. Duo took out a combat knife from its holster on his left leg and held it in his left hand while he held his pistol in the right. Heero frowned,

"What do you call your unique style of fighting again Duo?" he asked, vaguely remembering Duo using the stance before. Duo rolled his eyes,

"CQC Heero. How many times do I have to tell you?" he mocked his friend. Heero sighed as more plaster dust descended from a particularly heavy burst of fire,

"They're moving closer." He observed, not even having to look out of the doorway to know that he was right. Duo nodded and twirled his knife in his hand, preparing himself mentally for the act of killing a man,

"Would make tactical sense. If they weren't trying to advance on the two of us." He said with his trademark grin. Heero gave one of his rare smiles,

"Two of them are advancing on us. Want to take them?" he offered Duo. Duo bowed his head,

"You're truly a king among men my lord." Duo said with a crazy laugh. He suddenly launched himself out from behind the cover of the wall and sped out of the bathroom's door.

There were indeed only two of them advancing on Duo and Heero and they were both caught off guard when a man charged them on his own. Duo squeezed off two shots as he ran and one of the men lost his face to the two slugs. The second man raised his machine gun to fire but it was too late. Duo thrust upwards with his right hand, swinging the dangerous end of the gun away from himself, before slashing forwards with the combat knife. The man's throat suddenly opened itself and jets of clear red blood shot out of the man at an alarming speed, flying for at least three metres and coating Duo's face during its flight.

The remaining gunmen, at least twenty of them, were still at the far wall. They looked at Duo in complete shock and horror for two seconds before they slammed their fingers on their triggers. Responding on instinct Duo launched himself across the warehouse floor, dodging bullets more because of their stupidity than his evasive tactics. But your aim tends to go off when you're facing down a charging man, his face coated in blood, a combat knife in one hand and a pistol in the other.

The first gunman to realise that Duo was going to reach them without being killed dropped his weapon to the floor and raised his hands in surrender. His allies lowered their guns, ready to hand them over to Duo if it meant escaping with their lives. Duo didn't break his run and he reached out with both hands as he sped towards the first man. As soon as Duo felt his hands touch the man's head he jumped up in the air, twisting his hands savagely while they grasped the man's skull. A sickening _Crack!, _resounded throughout the warehouse and the man fell to the floor, his neck askew. Duo rolled as he landed from his running jump and shot off the remaining slugs from his pistol.

Five of the men fell to the floor, quite obviously dead, while four more fell to the ground, clutching painfully at their wounds. The remaining ten gunmen hammered their triggers with their fingers again and the ground around Duo erupted in a hail of bullets. But Duo didn't stay there long enough for one of the bullets to find their mark. At the run Duo flung his empty pistol at the closest man. The heavy firearm hit the man in the head and he fell to the floor in an instant.

The others concentrated their fire at Duo but before a single bullet could hit… he was gone. They reluctantly released their triggers and looked straight ahead of themselves. Duo had been there only a second ago, charging like a maniac straight at them, but now there wasn't even a trace of him. That was until the rear most gunman issued a guttural noise that seemed to trail off rather quickly into a gargling sound.

The second rearmost man was half way through turning round when the combat knife stabbed into his back with furious intensity. He let out a blood curdling scream before the knife stabbed inwards again, snapping the spinal cord in two with its deadly power. The other men turned round just as Duo found his next victim. The man had just turned round and Duo merely slashed at him once, his blow seemingly not connecting at all. Then the blood came, gushing into the air around the man like some demonic fountain. The leader screamed in fear and rage and shot the remaining bullets from his magazine straight at his dead comrade and his attacker, his other men going by his example.

The leader had been slamming the trigger back for almost five minutes before he realised that the only thing escaping the gun was the soft _clink!_ of an empty magazine. It took him a further three minutes to realise that the warehouse was completely silent. In fact it had become so quiet that he was acutely aware that all he could hear was his own, far from steady, breathing. Then the pain flared up, sharp and strong, in the base of his spine. He let out a cry but before it could turn into a scream a hand came from behind him and clamped itself over his mouth. In his agony the leader heard a soft chuckle,

"Never try and kill the god of death."

Cagalli sat in the swivel chair, her head in her hands as she sobbed weakly. Meer patted her on the back comfortingly while she watched Lacus pace around the motionless form of Kira Yamato. Lacus paused,

"So Garth has total control over Tom?2 she asked, never taking her eyes from Kira. Cagalli managed to nod as she sobbed,

"Yes… he told Tom to do something… and… and Tom couldn't stop himself… from obeying…" she summarised, her statement fractured by her own sobbing. Meer gave her a sympathetic look,

"Ah… it's okay Cagalli. It'll all be okay." She declared, hugging her friend in an attempt to make her words sound plausible. Cagalli seemed to be taken in by this tactic and her sobbing lessened mildly.

Lacus frowned and continued to pace up and down behind Kira, almost protectively. She suddenly stopped pacing,

"We've been working on the idea that Garth implanted some sort of micro chip in his brain right?" she said, gaining the attention of the girls, sobbing or no. She sighed, "but what if Tom was working for Garth all along?"

The suggestion hung in the air like lead for both Lacus and Meer. It was like a violent slap to the face for Cagalli. She stood up with such power that the swivel chair flew across the room and Meer almost toppled over. Cagalli took two, heavy, steps towards Lacus,

"How dare you talk about him like that?" she hissed, her sorrow replaced tenfold by white hot anger, "You have no right to question his loyalty!"

Lacus didn't bristle at either the physical or the verbal actions. She sighed again,

"As the leader of the resistance it is my duty to make sure that the resistance remains. It is my duty to question his loyalty to our cause." She explained, completely emotionless. This cause Cagalli's rage to spill over,

"He was never loyal to your resistance! He was raised from birth to love the earth. He hated living in space! He disliked living on colonies. He was terrafirma!" she shouted at Lacus. Lacus frowned,

"This supports my argument Cagalli. He was not loyal to our cause." She declared with ain air of finality. Cagali threw her arms up in desperation and frustration,

"He was loyal to me! He did whatever he though would make me happy. He gave up all hope of living on earth by accepting to be my carer." She felt another sob building up on her, "He was loyal to me and I dragged him into this mess."

Cagalli looked from Lacus to Meer, but both of them avoided her eye. Cagalli's jaw dropped in disbelief,

"You don't believe me…?" she asked, more than slightly shocked. Lacus looked away and Meer fidgeted,

"But Cagalli… no man can be that loyal to one person." She reasoned nervously. Cagalli was about to respond when someone behind her spoke first,

"I'm sure Heero would love to hear that Meer the next time he fights off a murdering psychopath like me." Dominic said with a smile. His smile suddenly turned to a frown, "Be nice Dominic or you don't get any surface time for a month."

Lacus' mouth floundered until she finally regained the ability to speak,

"Kira…? Dominic…? What happened?" she asked. Kira and Dominic's shared body smiled,

"We're like collage roommates in here now."

Heero frowned again and stared across the large, oak, conference table at Kira/Dominic. They seemed to be sharing the body exactly down the middle. One of his feet was tapping and the hand above it was fiddling with a pencil. The other side was calm, collected and most definitely Kira. Heero turned away from Kira/Dominic and looked at Duo, Cagalli, Meer and Lacus. He gestured to the folder in front of Lacus,

"what's in the folder Lacus?" he asked, ignoring the fact that Dominic's side was aiming to flick the pencil at him. Lacus tapped the folder gently,

"Our course of action." She said slowly and slid the folder across the table to Heero, "Operation Shooting Star."

Heero felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He glanced up at Duo and they shared a knowing look. Duo was the one who spoke up,

"Would this plan involve sending Gundams and pilots to Earth, disguised as shooting stars, to sabotage Blue Cosmos?" he asked, nervously touching his right shoulder, the one he'd banged against the inside of the original Deathscythe when he'd landed as a 'shooting star' the first time. Lacus, taken aback, blinked repeatedly,

"H-how did you know? The details of Operation Shooting Star are top secret." She insisted, her mind racing to think of people who could have betrayed the information. Heero put her at ease somewhat,

"Me and Duo have… prior experience." He explained. Duo grinned,

"Plus the name's a real giveaway." He said with a laugh. Kira/Dominic, Cagalli and Meer all smiled at the joke but Heero and Lacus didn't. Lacus coughed to gather everyone's attention,

"But sending the Deathscythe Hell and the Wing Zero, along with Heero and Duo, to Earth is only one part of the plan." She paused for effect and rose to her feet, "The other is the full scale assault on the Luna base, followed swiftly by the invasion and destruction of the Blue Cosmos headquarters, deep within a large military testing facility."

The others stared at her, not shocked in the slightest. It was always going to have to come to this. Blue Cosmos had attacked the colonies with the intent of killing all of the coordinators. They had failed. And now it was finally time for the coordinators and their natural allies to exact their revenge. Lacus held out her hand,

"I will not be the one to decide your fates. I put it to a vote. Aye or nay." She explained. The others looked amongst themselves before deciding. Lacus nodded at their responses,

"The ayes have it. We go to war."


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration.**

**Notice:**** We have entered the end phase people! This is the beginning of the end!**

The white horse, swathed in red

Duo chuckled and Heero turned to look at his friend,

"Something funny Duo?" he asked casually. Duo nodded,

"When she said 'Operation Shooting Star', I didn't expect there to only be one ship. It's kinda cramped, ain't it?" he said with a grin and he happily slapped the restraint that kept him pinned to his seat. Heero smiled a little, kicking Duo's foot by merely moving his foot,

"Well at least we'll be together when we land." He said, looking around the 2m by 2m 'crew' area. Duo nodded,

"It will make it easier to disrupt their supply routes with the two of us working as a team this time around. Looking forward to it Heero?" he asked mildly as he stared at the fire licking at the outside of the single window as they entered the Earth's atmosphere. Heero thought for a moment,

"No. Not really." He conceded. Duo look worried but Heero gave one of his trademark, small, smiles, "But I'll get into the swing of it pretty soon. The more destruction the easier to enjoy it."

Duo nodded and returned to watching the flames out the window. Heero closed his eyes as if sleeping and his breathing came long and steady. Duo spoke, knowing his friend wasn't asleep,

"They say a shooting star shines its brightest just before it burns out. Just before its death." He said ominously. Heero opened his eyes and grunted,

"Then we'll never shine very brightly will we? Unless, of course, you intend to die sometime soon." He concluded, closing his eyes once again. Duo chuckled,

"Not now old buddy." His smiled disappeared, "There will be plenty of opportunities to die after we deal with Blue Cosmos."

Duo's eyes glazed over and he became aware that he couldn't see Heero or the crew's area anymore. He was back on the colony, in the warehouse again. The stench flaring up to make him wretch slightly. The piles of corpses were gone, only bloody puddles left in their place. Only the boy remained, his sightless orbs gazing into Duo's eyes with a burning intensity.

The dead boy was standing in the centre of the warehouse under his own power. His decayed arm slowly moved so that he was pointing at Duo. Every inch cause clicks to issue from the boy's frayed and damaged arm bones. Duo shook his head and tried to speak but nothing came out. The boy turned, his hips giving rise to even more hideous clicks. Duo followed the boy's gaze to stare at the warehouse's far wall. There was something on the wall.

Duo's eyes widened when he saw it for what it was. It was a picture, probably made with cans of spray paint, of the Deathscythe Hell lying on the ground, beaten up pretty bad. Duo himself was in the picture. Drawn standing on the Deathscythe's chest piece with a speech bubble. Duo shook his head in disbelief as he spoke the words,

"Go ahead and kill me! KILL ME!" he repeated, shouting despite himself. He felt a sharp pain in his left cheek. He looked down into the rotting eyes of the boy. The boy had travelled across the entire warehouse quickly and silently and his splintering hand was slapping Duo repeatedly on the left cheek. Duo screamed and fell to the floor. The dead boy looked down at Duo, his neck issuing another click, and he reached out to slap Duo again. Duo crawled hurriedly backwards,

"No! Stay away from me! I don't want to die!" he shouted and screwed his eyes shut. Silence. And then…

"Well neither do I but you don't hear me shouting about it." Heero said. Duo slowly opened his eyes and, to his relief, saw Heero standing over him instead of the dead boy. Duo relax slightly,

"I was just having a bad dream…" he said with a faint smile. Heero shook his head gravely,

"No. You were awake Duo." He noticed his friend's eyes widen, "You were in some kind of a trance. Apparently not a pleasant one either."

Duo shuddered,

"Let's just forget about it shall we?" he shook his head, "How long till we land?"

Heero tapped a button and the door to the crew's area opened. The small hanger was just large enough to fit both the Zero and the Deathscythe in it and they were both pushed close together, back to back. Heero nodded towards the window and the black clouds in the sky outside,

"We have already." He undid his own restraints and crawled into the Zero's cockpit, "Oh and it's going to rain."

Duo frowned and rolled his eyes,

"Oh great."

"You think the universe is infinite Kira?"

"Well we know it is Dominic so it makes your question kind of stupid."

"Yeah? Well you're kinda stupid."

"That's it? That's your witty retort?"

"Debris. Plus, I don't need to prove myself to you."

"Thanks. No you don't need to prove yourself to me. Just science and rationality."

"Well that's stupid. Who made that rule up?"

"I don't know. Some guy I guess…"

"Loose beam sword."

"Thanks. But someone must have made it up at some point."

"But why would they? Did they have nothing better to do?"

"Well some people just have strange minds I suppose."

"You mean like you?"

"No. I have a split personality who happens to be a psychotic moron. I don't think they're compatible."

"Sure. Whatever."

"I'm getting tired of your comments so if you don't shut up you're going back totally. Not even speaking time for you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

"AWWW!! Come on Kira! I don't want to go back, I don't want to go back, and I don't want to go back!"

"My god! Stop throwing a tantrum!"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum!"

"Sounds like it to me."

"Yeah well… I'm just not!"

"Yeah and I'm the arch bishop of Rhode Island."

"…Where's Rhode Island?"

"On Earth. Somewhere."

"Nice place?"

"Apparently so. Never been there but apparently it's full of woods and nice people."

"No Kira. I asked if it was nice, not if it was boring."

"Just because nothing explodes there doesn't make it boring."

"I disagree bec- YAY! We've got a clamper!"

"Really? Which limb?"

"Left leg. Can we use the shocker? Please?"

"Why? It's easier to just shoot them off."

"Yeah but I like to watch them twitch."

Kira raised an eyebrow but sighed,

"Alright. We'll use the shocker." He said before pushing a small, blue, button on the inside of the Freedom's cockpit. A large electrical charge ran through the entire body of the Gundam and into the mobile suit that had been holding onto the Freedom's left leg. The mobile suit did indeed twitch as it fell away to be destroyed by a random piece of shrapnel. Dominic smiled inside Kira's mind and took over the mouth,

"I hope you got that on tape. That one was definitely a twitcher." He said enthusiastically. Kira rolled his eyes,

"Can we be serious please Dominic? We're supposed to be making the takeover of the Luna base easier. Not watching mobile suits twitch. Now where'd Cagalli get to? We need to RV with her before the final push." He said with a heavy sigh. Dominic grunted, serious for once,

"You're worried about her still?" he asked, the question almost turning into a statement. Kira nodded,

"The man she loved got abducted while she was sitting there Dominic. That's got to mess with a person's head." He said in a quiet voice. Dominic sighed,

"I think she's over near the base's hanger." He finally said. Kira frowned,

"Why is she near the hanger? Doesn't she know we need the hanger intact in order for Lacus and the others to land and take over the base?" he asked Dominic as the Freedom dodged another attack before retaliating, destroying five mobile suits at once. Dominic sighed again,

"That's why she's there." He said slowly. When Kira didn't want to respond he spoke again, "She wants to destroy the base."

Kira swore,

"She wants revenge on Garth?" he asked his alter ego. Dominic responded with a positive without speaking and Kira rolled his eyes, "If she wanted revenge she should have told me. Or you at least. We need to make it look like the base was destroyed accidentally Dominic otherwise Lacus will blame Cagalli and probably have her killed."

Dominic chuckled,

"So you've finally accepted that your girlfriend has been twisted by this war?" he asked in a mocking tone. Kira gritted his teeth,

"It's going to change us all. Now I'm going to aim for the fuel section of the base. Do you think it will be enough to blow the base up?" Kira asked, trying to shift the focus of the conversation. Dominic was silent for a moment,

"Probably. Give it a shot." He declared after awhile. Kira nodded and pulled the trigger. The five beams shot from the Freedom and hit the fuel section of the base dead on. The explosion that followed was colossal, lighting up the entire battlefield with the momentary fires and the vaporising fuels. Kira swore and laid back in his chair. Dominic frowned,

"I thought you'd be happy Kira. You just saved your sister's life." He pointed out. Kira waved a hand indifferently,

"And by doing so have ruined our mission." He declared. Dominic frowned again,

"How?" he asked, slightly confused. Kira sighed,

"That was the biggest alarm that Garth could ever have hoped for. An explosion big enough to light up the night all around the Earth. We've just lost the element of surprise Dominic."

The dazzling explosion lit up the night sky over the Joshua Base, Alaska. Every soldier, scientist and engineer looked up at the sky in awe as the explosion died down in the night sky above. Well… everyone except Tom Grayson. He threw the clipboard to the floor,

"Get me a runner!" he ordered. The mid-level officer around him looked at him as if he'd grown a second head,

"A runner? What for? We can use the-"

"Oh shut up!" he interrupted and punched the officer once. The man fell to the floor like a broken mobile suit, out cold, as Tom ran through the door of the observation room. The most senior of the young officers sniggered and grabbed the room's telephone,

"Won't the mighty Tom Grayson feel stupid when I call Mr Marco and explain the situation." His smirk slowly disappeared, "Strange. The first line is out… no… they all are!"

Slow, sarcastic, claps sounded from the door. The officer turned as one, all of them agitated. Until they realised that it was Garth Marco clapping. Garth Marco who was taunting them. They scramble to attention in fractions of a second. Garth looked behind him at Tom and Flay,

"Snapping to attention…" he chuckled before walking into the room, "Think they'll make good officers Tom?"

Both Flay, her hand behind her back, and Garth looked at Tom for his response. He frowned,

"What type of answer? Sir." He said the last word with barely muted disgust. Garth smiled at his tone,

"I can't see any harm in it. Go ahead. Speak your mind Commander." He concluded. Tom nodded,

"Thank you. Sir." He took a deep breath after saying the word again, "Not one of these self-righteous, moronic fuckwits is ever going to be suitable for any job, except for being a horse's as-"

"WOAH!" Garth interrupted, fighting to stop himself from giggling, "Getting a bit insulting there weren't you?"

Tom took a step back and clicked his heels together,

"I… apologise. Sir." He said, his spine crawling after even contemplating saying those words. Garth shook his head,

"I agree with you Tom." He smiled at the nervous officers, "That's why I brought General Allster."

The hail of bullets ripped through the officers before any of them had seen Flay bring the machine gun out from behind her back. Garth and Tom, both between the men and Flay, remained motionless and were left unscathed. Garth shook his head,

"Shame. Could have grown into some great kiss-ups." He said with a wide grin that meant he was being entirely serious. Flay smirked and gestured to Tom,

"But he already fills that position." She said mockingly. Garth frowned and was about to respond when Tom spoke up,

"Permission to act freely sir?" he asked Garth, still at apologetic attention. Garth raised an eyebrow,

"Very well. Permission granted." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Tom's hand lashed out quickly and connected with Flay's cheek with an almighty _smack! _Flay fell to the floor in shock and Tom returned to standing at attention. Garth chuckled,

"I guess I should have seen this once coming." He said with a smile. Flay growled at Tom as she stood,

"God damn it Tom! What the hell was that for?!" she demanded, still fuming with anger. Tom coughed a little but made no other movement,

"Because I believe it is bad practice to act like a bitch when the camp is about to be attacked." He said, still without a hint of emotion. The colour drained from Flay's face,

"H-how can you tell?" she asked a slight tremor in her voice. Garth, his smiled still in place, answered,

"Because by attacking the Luna Base they have cut off our means to contact the fleet and any other military bases." He turned to Tom and Flay with an eerily pleasant smile, "First you deafen the lion. Then you blind it. Then you starve it. And only after all that do you kill the lion."

Garth walked over to Flay and put a hand on her shoulder. He smiled warmly down at her until she was smiling back up at him, actually feeling happy instead of just trying to make Garth happy. Garth turned to Tom and walked up to him silently. Tom felt the air leave his body in a gigantic rush as Garth's fist slammed into his gut. He doubled over and as he did so Garth slammed his face down onto his knee. Tom keeled over onto his back, clutching his bloody nose in pain. Garth smiled, his smiled never really leaving his face,

"The next time you feel like touching my bitch Tom…" his eyes narrowed to slits and the smile disappeared, "Don't."

Tom growled and spat a mixture of saliva and blood at Garth,

"I'm going to kill you Garth…" he growled through the blood in his mouth. Garth shook his head, his smile still absent,

"No you won't. You'll be a good little puppy and obey my every command!" he roared and kicked Tom in the ribs with such savagery that Flay jumped backwards at Tom's scream of pain and the snap of his ribs. Garth's mouth took a very strange form for a moment and he actually frowned, "You will **die** if I tell you to."

Tom groaned before spitting even more blood onto the floor beside his head. He glanced up at Garth again,

"Oh yeah?" he shook his head, "I'll break it Garth."

Garth's smile briefly returned,

"Don't make me laugh." He said before the smile disappeared, Tom was trying to get to his feet. He growled and kicked Tom back down to the floor, "WHO TOLD YOU TO GET UP?!"

His foot slammed down in Tom's exposed ribs repeatedly until blood ran out of the corner of Tom's mouth and he was still. Garth scowled and knelt down near Tom's head. He grabbed Tom's hair roughly and shook him until his eyes refocused,

"You're not going to die Tom. You can't die." His free hand gripped Tom's throat tightly and refused to move even when Tom's fingers scrambled at it, "But sometimes you'll wish you could."

Tom's fingers slowly began to lose their strength and eventually stopped altogether. Garth frowned and let go of Tom, half expecting the man to spring up at him for a counter attack. Tom simply fell back to the floor heavily, his eyes glazed over. Garth scowled and checked Tom's pulse. He grinned again,

"I told you Tom. You can't die. But you'll wish you could."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration. I also don't own the songs I have quoted from in this chapter.**

**Notice:**** We have entered the end phase people! This is the beginning of the end!**

The wicked many and the righteous few

Cagalli floated out of the Rouge as fast as she could. Kira floated after her desperately,

"Cagalli! Hey Cagalli! Wait for me!" he called to her as she reached the exit to the hanger. She stormed away when the artificial gravity took a hold on both of them. Kira followed her quickly and grabbed hold of her shoulder,

"Cagalli! We need to talk about what happened today." He said as he spun her round to face him. Her hand travelled with her and she slapped Kira across the face,

"Nothing! Nothing happened Kira!" she yelled at him before trying to march off again. Kira spun her round again, holding both hands to stop her from slapping him again,

"Cagalli, I'm not going to turn you in-"

"Liar! Stop judging me!" she screamed at him, her face screwed up in anger and rage. Kira shook his head,

"I'm not Cagalli! It's just… you haven't been the same since Tom was taken. Are you sure you're okay?" he said, finally able to finish. Cagalli growled from the pit of her stomach and kicked Kira in the shin with such ferocity that he let go of her hands,

"Why would that asshole have anything to do with this? Why would he have anything to do with me?! He left me!" she declared, gradually getting louder and louder with her venomous tone. Kira shook his head and was about to speak when Meer spoke up from behind them both, surprising them both,

"Calm down Cagalli. He's just concerned for you." She smiled kindly, "We all are."

Cagalli whipped round to stare directly into Meer's eyes. Meer actually reeled back at the sight of those haunted, twisted and angry orbs. Cagalli raised her quaking arm and pointed her finger at Meer,

"So she sent **you** to tell me to leave." She chuckled but the lack of humour made the sound harsh and rasping, "She would."

Meer was taken aback by Cagalli's verbal assault on both herself and Lacus but Kira seemed to have sensed where the conversation was going to be heading and he'd already positioned himself between Cagalli and Meer,

"Now calm down Cagalli. It's not her fault that-"

"That what?! That I disobeyed orders?" her eyes bulged and her veins became very visible, "She's one of the reasons **why** I disobeyed orders! Her and that bitch who rules over us like some kind of a goddess!"

Meer pushed Kira to the side and stepped forwards despite his muttered complaints. Meer gave Cagalli an angry look of her own,

"How dare you speak of Lacus like that?" she shook her head and the hair clip flew out of her hair as it flew around her head like an angry aura, "She has sacrificed more than you'll ever know! She's had to give up everything! She has done things that no one should ever have to do! And she-!"

Dominic interrupted her out of the blue,

"Nothing you can say to her will take away those memories, what she fights is what she's come to be." He said in a singing voice that issued hurt in its soft and gentle caress. Cagalli and Meer looked at Dominic in confusion of one sort or another. Even Kira was confused. Dominic sank back bellow the surface without another word. Meer nodded slowly,

"Exactly my point." She said finally. Cagalli shook her head,

"I don't care what she's done. It's what she's doing that I hate her for." She growled again, "She sits up there, lording over us all, expecting us to die for her and her damn cause!"

Meer took another step forwards,

"You don't understand what she's been through! You know nothing of her personal suffering!" she spat at the smaller woman. Cagalli took another step of her own,

"I don't need to understand her past to know her present Meer! She's leading the remainder of a race to their deaths! And why? For petty revenge!" she roared back at her opponent. Kira stepped forwards, prying the two apart as he did so,

"Calm down! Both of you!" he demanded. Both girls took a step back and cooled to the point where they weren't spitting insults and accusations at each other whenever they thought of them. Kira nodded, "Better. But you're both acting like children! We can solve our differences easily. We just need to talk."

Cagalli shook her head and spat at Kira and Meer,

"I'm done talking. I'm going to my cabin." She declared before turning on the spot and storming off again. Meer tried to launch herself at Cagalli but Kira managed to catch her and restrain her,

"This isn't over just because you say it is Cagalli! You can't solve any of your problems by walking away!" she shouted at the retreating back of Cagalli. Cagalli's left arm shot up into the air, her middle finger the only finger standing upright. Meer twisted savagely in Kira grip but he held her firmly until Cagalli disappeared into her cabin and the door closed, locking behind her. As he slowly released her Meer's growl built up from her throat again, "She's changed Kira. She's going to be even worse for our cause than Tom Grayson himself."

Kira turned on Meer, his own face contorted in anger,

"I won't have you talk about him like that. He was a good man. He **is** a good man. He just has a problem." He said before making her way over to Cagalli's door. He put his ear to the door and heard loud music playing on the other side. But there was something else. Something on top of the music. Sobbing. Kira hung his head when Dominic found his voice again,

"She can't hide not matter how hard she tries, her secret disguise behind her lies. And at night she cries away her pride, with eyes shut tight, staring at her inside. All her friends know why she can't sleep at night, all her family asking if she's alright. All she wants to do is get rid of this hell but all she's got to do is stop kidding herself." He said in his singing voice, rapping the words softly rather than actually singing them. Kira felt Dominic sink back bellow the surface again. He raised an eyebrow quizzically,

"And what was all that about?" he asked his alter ego. Dominic swam back to centre stage in their mind again,

"A song I learnt a long time ago. It seemed appropriate." He said blankly. Kira nodded slowly,

"Mind telling me the song's name? Maybe it'll tell me how this is going to end…" he said with a sigh. Dominic shared the sigh,

"It's called, Carousel. The title tells us that this won't be over quickly. It's going to carry on like this." He concluded. Kira nodded with another sigh,

"That's life I suppose." He looked at the door again, "I only wish it wasn't my sister's life. She deserved better than what she got Dominic."

He shook his head and looked at her feet,

"They both deserved better. They deserved to be able to live with each other in peace."

The Deathscythe's weapon on choice swung downwards hard and fast, slicing straight through the guard's inferior mobile suit. Another guard threw his mobile suit at the Deathscythe with its beam sword in hand. Duo merely pressed a button and the explosive shield of the Deathscythe shot into the mobile suit's chest piece. In the resulting explosion the only thing to be unharmed was the shield itself and it made its way back to the Deathscythe's left arm. Duo chuckled and shook his head slightly,

"Do you think they know they're dead even before they attack us?" he asked, mocking the enemy mobile suit pilots even as they charged at him again. Heero grunted as he fired shot after shot from his buster rifles,

"I'm sure I don't know Duo." He responded as the radar station finally exploded in a mixture of fire and debris that threatened to consume the entire area. Heero nodded at his accomplishment, "Well we know they fear us Duo."

Duo shook his head with a frown as the Deathscythe swung its scythe one more time, cutting four advancing mobile suits down like grains of corn. He shrugged,

"Well they keep attacking us even though they fear us. So there may be a flaw in your logic with that revelation." He replied with a little laugh. He gestured towards three advancing mobile suits even though Heero couldn't see his hand gestures, "Look at this Heero… they're still coming. You think they know something we don't?"

Heero didn't respond straight away. The Zero slowly joined both of its buster rifles to create its buster cannon and levelled it at the three advancing suits. Heero sighed as he aimed the weapon,

"Nope, they're clueless." He stated as he pulled the trigger. A huge beam of energy shot from the buster cannon. The three mobile suits were engulfed in the beam for mere seconds before they blinked out of existence. As the bright yellow light of the beam died down and the energy dissipated Heero let out a long, slow, breath, "This always gets easier."

Duo nodded and the Deathscythe crossed the ruins of the radar base to stand next to the Zero,

"Yes it does but we still have to be cautious." He grew serious, "We need to make sure that no one lives to tell that it was us that destroyed this radar base. No survivors Heero. No one can see us and live to tell of it."

Heero nodded and gripped his controls tighter,

"I know the procedure Duo." His eyes glazed over for a second, "I made the procedure."

Duo nodded and went to work with his scanners, looking for any signs of human life in the ruins of the base. He had travelled little more than a few hundred yards before he found a small pocket of surviving soldiers. He watched as they tried futilely to assemble a missile launch platform. He watched them for a few seconds without moving before his finger found its way to a certain switch. The switch was flipped. The twin Vulcan guns mounted in the Deathscythe's head erupted and the ground was instantly mashed up beyond all recognition with the heavy torrent of bullets. The tarmac wasn't the only thing to be torn to shreds however and Duo watched every second of it. Needless to say, he had carried out procedure. There were no survivors here anymore.

Heero scanned the area, the zero staying completely still as it did so. He noticed a small blip on the scanner's screen and frowned at the location of the life form. The Zero's head slowly looked down and the man froze on the spot, the snow around him turning yellow as the utter terror ran through him. Heero shook his head when he noticed the man's machine gun and grapple. He'd planned to climb up and shoot Heero when he was busy scanning. He was about to end the man's life when a scratching sound caught his attention. He quickly typed away at the scanners, telling them to search for life forms much closer to the cockpit. It came up with two blips. Heero growled menacingly, another survivor was already outside the cockpit, obviously trying to get inside. Heero hit a button and the cockpit burst open.

The guard, machine gun slung over his back and explosive package in hand, looked shocked when Heero stepped out of the cockpit and onto the ledge where he was crouched. The shock didn't keep him still for long however. He snapped out of his trance and his hands instantly went for his gun. But by the time he'd swung it round to point at his enemy, Heero's boot was too close to his face for him to be able to do anything. Heero watched with grim satisfaction as the man fell from the ledge after his roundhouse kick. He looked down, off the edge of the ledge, and saw the other survivor gallantly trying to make his way up the left leg of the Zero. Heero spat once and looked for something that would help him stop the man. Nothing in the cockpit or on the ledge was going to help him. He growled again and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and calmed himself mentally. Before diving off of the ledge.

The last remaining guard in the Alaskan sonar base was not prepared for what happened next. It is very unlikely that anyone would be prepared for such an eventuality. A diving pilot with his arm outstretched to catch your neck in a clothesline is not something anyone thinks of. Perhaps it should be.

Heero steered himself as he fell through the air at an alarming speed. His outstretched arm felt strangely insubstantial as it cut through the air. That was until it hit something, something that fell with Heero after the initial impact. Heero smiled as he saw the snowy ground come rushing up to greet him. He kept the smile even when he ploughed straight into the snow and carried on to hit the tarmac beneath it. He sat up with a slight groan and shook his head to dislodge any snow but also to snap his neck back into place. He turned to the soldier who'd tried to attack himself and the Zero. His neck was hanging at an awkward angle just as Heero's had been but Heero knew that the soldier's neck wasn't going to straighten up and heal. Loud and heavy footfalls that shook the earth alerted Heero to the presence of the Deathscythe. He looked up at the black Gundam and waved happily up at Duo. An amplified chuckle made it's way down to Heero,

"You're one crazy son of a bitch, you know that?" Duo asked his friend as he continued to chuckle away to himself. Heero nodded and ran his fingers across the cuts that zigzagged over his facial features. He noticed that the further he went along with his fingers, the less damage he could feel. He knew that he was healing at his regular, and yet completely irregular, rate. With another wave of his hand he finally regarded his friend's comment,

"Yeah, yeah. You just say that cus you're jealous."

Kira watched as the cockpit door slowly came closer and closer to shutting out the noise and the artificial lighting of the ship's hanger. His breathing became strangely ragged but it wasn't from fear or from anxiety. It was the thrill. The thrill of being a Gundam pilot, the thrill of being able to say that he'd fought when no one else would. The pure joy that came from the feeling of being trapped in his own little world, a world that was a world unto its own. A world outside the world.

The way his warm breath hit the glass of his helmet and then bounced its warmth back onto him gave the most pleasant feeling he'd ever experienced. Here was his work. Here was where he belonged. Here was **his** world. Here was where the last of the coordinator Gundam pilots made his stand. In this cold, soulless, box of a cockpit.

It was quite amusing actually. A few years ago Kira had found out that he was claustrophobic, he was deathly afraid of being in enclosed spaces. And yet… here he was. Here he was in **his** world, a tiny box with only one exit. He should be scared out of his wits. He shouldn't be a Gundam pilot at all but something was different about the cockpit of a mobile suit. It wasn't like the other small rooms. It didn't restrict his breathing in the slightest. After all, this was his world.

During his reflection Dominic had stirred within him and finally spoke,

"Stapled shut, inside an outside world and I'm sealed in tight, bizarre but right at home, claustrophobic, closing in and I'm catastrophic." Dominic closed his eyes tight and his fingers twitched wildly on the controls, "Not again."

Kira frowned as Dominic disappeared bellow the surface again,

"What the hell?" he shook his head, "Was there any need for that?"

Dominic smiled as he countered,

"Was there any need for the internal monologue?" he asked. Kira nodded, relenting,

"I guess not."

Tom felt his heart rate slowing to a steady pace as the cockpit closed, cutting off the outside world. As far as he was considered now that the cockpit door was closed tight the world could go and burn itself with its squalor and sickening lifestyle. He was well aware that he himself was an instrument of war but he hated the way that mankind, the most intelligent and adaptable race in all existence, treated itself with such contempt that men tried to whip each other out of existence.

He breathed in deeply and felt a small shiver run up his spine. With that shiver he felt connected to something other than himself. He saw his breath cloud his helmet and another, more powerful shiver, ran through him. A strange thought struck him as he looked at his misty breath. He was a man, but he'd only been a man for a few years. He hadn't even existed those years ago. But he didn't become a man because of some random hormones or development date from the research centre. He'd become a man the first time he realized that he loved Cagalli.

He suddenly felt something stir inside himself as the Z3 was brought up to the space launcher. His mouth suddenly became very restless and his tongue wouldn't stop moving. When he opened his mouth words tumbled out, already fully formed,

"I am a world before I am a man. I was a creature before I could stand. I will remember before I forget." He growled to himself as the Frustration was launched into space, "BEFORE I FORGET THAT!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration. **

**Notice:**** Screw the end phase! This is the beginning of the final battle for one of these sides! This is where it is decided, once and for all, if love truly can conquer all. This is where souls are banished beyond all hope of redemption and salvation! The breach has been opened! LET THE SEVEN HEADED BEAST AND THE WHORE OF BABYLON DECEND UPON THE ARMIES OF THE WORLD!**

With the end in sight so begins the final fight, for the souls of mankind and its sons

The Zero and the Deathscythe stood alone on the rise just outside the limits of the Alaskan base, Joshua. Both suits were fully armed, ready for the longest and most important battle of their existences. Their pilots were equally prepared, although one was more prepared than the other. Duo was shaking uncontrollably as he sat, sweating heavily, in the Deathscythe's cockpit. He shook his head quickly until the interior of the cockpit blurred,

"N-no… we can't do this Heero…" he waved his hand at the screen that showed the base itself, "We can't beat tha-that!"

Heero looked through the screen at the base again, once again staring directly at the colossal cannon that jutted out of the earth within the base. It was clearly not a natural part of the terrain; the glistening steel was in stark contrast to the dull brilliance of the snow. The cannon dwarfed the base itself with its sheer size but also with the sense of utter hopelessness that radiated from it like a disease, contaminating everything it came into contact with. Heero gripped his controls tighter,

"We were ordered to destroy any and all ground-to-space weapons we found at the Joshua base Duo." He stated with the simplicity of a child. Duo shook his head,

"Are you insane?! They could turn that thing on us at any moment Heero!" he clutched at the screen that showed his friend, as if hoping to get his point across even more, "We wouldn't just die Heero… we'd be vaporised!"

Heero was about to respond when he noticed movement on his screen observing the base. He scanned it thoroughly with his eyes and with the Zero's scanners and found no movement. That was until he noticed the shadow of the cannon was moving. He glanced upwards and saw the monster of a weapon moving at a lumbering speed, obviously trying to realign for a shot into space. Heero growled darkly over the communication line that was open to Duo's frequency,

"That thing will destroy anything and everything in space Duo! Could you live know that you could have stopped it?!" he demanded of his friend. Duo felt his mouth run dry and visions of the spray paint image from his vision filled his mind. His mouth opened and closed without letting out even one sound pass his lips. He watched with a sunken heart, weighed down with shame, as his friend spat at the screen, "You coward. I'll do it myself."

Heero slammed down on one of the levers and the Zero's thrusters flared into brilliant life. He let out a primal scream as he let go of the Zero's foot brakes. The white mobile suit shot forwards with the built up speed of the thrusters. The snow parted underneath it and the rock beneath the snow flew to the sides, as if throwing itself out of the Gundam's path.

The defensive grid set up around the Joshua base immediately began to blast at the Zero with its powerful beam turrets and with missile launchers that always fired full salvos before being replenished almost instantly. All of the attacks were laser targeted and not one missed their mark. The hull of the Zero was lit up with the explosions and the bursts of light from the beams and missiles.

Huge shockwaves ran through the entire body of the Zero and Heero was pushed straight into one of his screens, his nose smashing the screen's surface, causing it to explode outwards in a sea of shards. He was incredibly lucky that not one of the shards pieced his eyes but they left their little cuts all across his face. He grunted loudly and pulled himself back up into a sitting position. He flicked switches and pushed buttons tirelessly, never even flinching when the shocks ran through the Zero's body again with alarming regularity. Heero looked up at the main screen in front of him and saw the chain link fence of the Joshua base looming up ahead of him. He slammed his fist down on the turbo button and the Zero smashed through the wire mesh like an unstoppable juggernaut. The white mobile suit dipped too low once it was inside the base however and the scanners on top of its head scratched the side of one of the buildings. This destabilised the Zero so much that Heero was unable to stop the heavy mobile suit from spinning wildly before crashing to the ground.

Heero's eyes never closed during the crash, not even to instinctively protect themselves from any debris that might have flown into them. The Zero's status screen flashed for urgent attention and Heero glanced at it once. The head of the Zero was already in the red level of damage, as were its left arm and left leg. The rest of the Zero was still in perfect working order. He grasped the controls again and the Zero pushed itself up off the ground with its right hand. The machine groaned in protest but it managed to get to its feet once again. Heero flicked the switch for the thrusters again and the Zero flew off of its feet before the thrusters spluttered and died. The Zero rolled to avoid crashing into the ground once again and stood up yet again.

The Zero put one foot forward before a blast from a beam rifle hit it square in the back, sending the Gundam forwards but not onto its face again. The Zero spun round remarkably quickly for a mobile suit as damaged as itself. Unfortunately its speed was rewarded by another rifle blast, this time to its right shoulder piece. The Zero was knocked back a bit but once again managed to stay on its feet. Heero rubbed his right shoulder in sympathy for his wounded machine and stared straight at the red mobile suit that was pointing the beam rifle at the Zero.

The red machine slowly drew the rifle back, although it kept the rifle pointed at the Zero. With a hiss of compressed air the red mobile suit's cockpit opened. Heero immediately zoomed in with his screen. Garth Marco was sitting in the pilot's chair of the red machine, an arrogant smile plastered across his face,

"Like it Heero?" he waved his hand towards his mobile suit, "This is the Infinite Justice Gundam. Once the pride and joy of the ZAFT forces… and now my play toy."

Heero didn't speak but looked at the status screen, trying not to alert Garth to his intentions. He needn't have bothered; Garth was beginning to monologue like the classic villains in actions films,

"But this is no surprise really Heero. You picked the wrong side in this war my friend! You should have joined me!" He cackled but Heero wasn't paying any attention, "You could have been worshiped like the god that you are!"

Heero stopped what he was doing and focused his attention on Garth for the first time since the beginning of their once sided conversation,

"I don't need to be worshiped Garth…" he gave his trademark smile, "Just feared by people like you."

Garth realized his mistake too late and by the time he did it was too late to stop the attack. The Zero threw its left arm up into the air at the same time that the clamps holding the shield in place released their hold. The heavy shield shot across the tarmac and snow to smash straight into the torso of the Justice, just above Garth's open cockpit. Sparks flew and the Justice was sent flying backwards.

Heero wasted no time in checking to see if his plan had worked however and the Zero moved to its feet as quickly as possible. It lumbered across the tarmac to the side of the giant cannon. Heero stopped in front of the cannon for a few seconds before deciding what to do. The Zero's undamaged right fist slammed into the side of the cannon and delved inside. After a few seconds of mindless rummaging the fist was pulled out while it held onto a handful of wires. A large panel of the cannon's side was dislodged and the wires sparked and hissed as Heero threw them to the ground. The Zero reached down for its buster cannon when Heero realized the flaw in his plan. His buster rifles were inside the shield. The Zero turned round quickly but flew backwards into the side of the cannon when the beam hit it directly in the chest.

As the light from the blast died down Heero stared in mild shock at his screen. Not only was the Justice standing but it was holding one half of the Zero's buster cannon. A grinning Garth appeared over the comlink,

"Guess what I got for ya?!" he cackled at Heero in his insane manner. The Justice levelled the buster rifle at the Zero once again, "Any last words Heero Yuy? Does the first God to DIE, have any last words?!"

A black blur came into view at a furious speed and collided with the side of the Justice. The Justice wasn't jolted by the impact because the impact was overshadowed by the explosion that followed it only milliseconds later. The buster rifle flew across the tarmac and the red Gundam flew into one of the base's buildings. Both Garth and Heero looked to the direction of the blur and saw the black and white mobile suit standing there proudly, its beam scythe already drawn and ignited,

"It's time we ended this Heero." Duo said seriously as his face appeared on both Heero and Garth's screens, "Time to see if that suit is as good as you claim Garth."

The Justice detached itself from the former mess hall and drew two of its beam sabers. Garth grinned,

"Ooh. Duo. So nice of you to join us." He said with a chuckle. Duo surprised both Heero and Garth by not chuckling back,

"Are you going to make jokes all day? I thought that suit was for fighting. Not broadcasting your boring speeches." He watched with a faint smile as Garth ground his teeth together,

"Alright then. Time to see if the god of death can die."

"I think we both already know the answer to that."

"Just remember Duo… there's a first time for everything!"

Cagalli felt the air in her lungs slow to a crawl on its way out of her lungs before it finally seemed to stop moving altogether. Her eyes were open wide, her eyelids twitching rhythmically. The pupils dilated before expanding constantly, never staying the same size even for an instant. It was hard for Cagalli to see with all of these actions taking place but the tears welling up didn't make it any easier. And yet another factor in her inability to focus her eyes was what she was actually looking at.

Through her unfocused eyes in just appeared to be a red and yellow object that was flickering as it came hurtling towards the Strike Rouge. But when she'd first seen it, through cleared eyes, she knew what it really was. The yellow and red were the flames from the exit of a mobile suit through the atmosphere. But she wasn't bothered by that fact. The mobile doll suits had been flying up through the atmosphere for the past few hours. The fact that the suit was alone was something to cause her to be nervous. But when she realised that the suit was black and sliver in colour and had six arms she knew what was coming.

The Z3 Frustration was already a very feared mobile suit in its own right but when people realised who was actually piloting the suit shivers ran up spines and eyes glazed over as spirits tried to escape bodies in their chaotic fear. Cagalli had experienced the shiver up her spine but she's also felt something move deep within her gut, something warm and comforting. She growled and pushed the feeling further back. She was angry at him. She was angry. There wasn't any time to be glad to see him. She had to kill him for leaving her.

The Frustration glided gently into place in front of the huge number of amassed mobile dolls. All six arms rose and gestured to the army behind it. The Freedom, directly to the left of Cagalli and the Strike Rouge, raised its own arms and gestured backwards at the coordinators and naturals in their mobile suits. The Frustration lowered its arms and the Freedom followed its example. The cockpit of the Frustration hissed before opening. Tom stood inside his cockpit, his space suit keeping him alive in the cold vacuum of space. He coughed a little and the sound was relayed to the speakers in both the Freedom and the Rouge,

"There isn't any need for us to fight." He said with a calm air. He gestured back at the ranks of mobile dolls. It was only now that Cagalli realised just how outnumbered they truly were. Tom nodded, "The dolls will show no mercy once activated… don't give me a reason to activate them. Fly away."

Cagalli barked an unintelligent noise at Tom that was supposed to be an insult but it turned out wrong as she choked on her own rage. She swallowed before continuing,

"Don't give me that bullshit Tom! Why'd you do it?!" she roared at him through the microphone, causing her voice to ring loud and true inside the cramped space of Tom's helmet. Tom sighed,

"I didn't want to Cagalli." He said quietly, his voice wavering. Cagalli once again found her throat blocked by the amount of rage that this statement summoned from inside her. She growled slightly,

"But you did Tom! You walked out on me when I needed you the most!" she yelled at him, the stored tears from before finally beginning to fall. Tom's response was quicker than Cagalli expected so she was caught off guard when he spoke,

"I didn't want to leave you! HE made me leave you Cagalli! HE was the one that tore us apart! HE is the one that controlled me then and HE is the one who controls me now! So for god's sake don't make yourself seem like the only victim here!" he shouted at her, his voice barely staying steady as emotion threatened to destroy his capability of coherent speech. Cagalli swallowed hard,

"Then come back to me Tom…" she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. Tom hung his head and his voice came through the speakers thick and laden with emotions that she knew were starting to hurt him inside,

"I can't Cagalli…" he muttered. He walked deeper into the Frustration's cockpit and sat back down at the controls. Cagalli gulped,

"Why not?" she asked him as she subconsciously checked that the Rouge was prepped for battle. The cockpit of the Frustration slowly started to close,

"I am still bound to his last command Cagalli. I am incapable of being with you until his last order to me has been carried out." He sighed and the cockpit snapped shut, "I must destroy the army amassed by the rebels or die trying."

Cagalli nodded her understanding and cut all communications with the outside universe. Her hands went to the controls only reluctantly. She breathed in and out deeply five times before she was mentally ready. The Rouge held both of its new beam swords at the ready as it slipped into a fighting position. It took less than two seconds after that for the mobile dolls to descend, their rifles firing and their beam sabers flashing. Cagalli roared and the Rouge and the Freedom led the charge into the fray of battle.

Flay smiled as the hundreds of technicians scurried about beneath the walkway that held her high above the rows of computers. The main screen blinked once before flashing red twice. A twisted smile curled from her lips,

"Master Technician! The signal has been given! Begin prepping the cannon to fire at once!" she command from her vantage high above them. No one technician stepped up to respond but they all muttered 'yes sirs' under their breath before running to complete her orders. Flay revelled in the power that she had. And to think… all she had to do to get this much power was sleep with the leader of the world on a regular basis. She chuckled and watched as the technicians ran around frantically, no longer trying to complete her orders but trying to find a person stupid enough to tell her the problem. They settled with an intern who stepped forwards only with a stern push and hissed words from the Master technician. He coughed politely to get her attention,

"Errm… m'am… there is a problem… we can't fire the cannon at the enemy fleet yet because our forces are in the way of the blast…" he said, sweating heavily and shaking violently. Flay nodded her head at one of the soldiers on the walkway. The sharpshooter took his shot quickly and the Master technician fell to the floor, crimson blood cascading down from the gunshot wound in the neck. Flay coughed politely, imitating the intern who's face was now covered in gore,

"Well then find one of the colonies to target. We'll destroy them all so that the survivors of the purges will die in their little holes." She spat off the edge of the walkway, a small smile creeping across her face when she realised she'd nailed a technician on the head with that one, "Do it now or you too will be shot!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration. **

**Notice:**** For the different sections, and for the overall title of this chapter I have taken a little help from the book of Revelation. The Seven seals, for anyone who's interested, are the seven stages in which the end of the world will be brought about. I just thought it was somewhat appropriate. **

**This part will be longer than any of the others before it. This is also the last chapter before the preview for the sequel series. Enjoy it guys :D**

**Sorry for the lateness but this is my Christmas/New Year gift to you, my loyal readers. Enjoy it because it took me bloody ages :P**

The Seven Seals

The First Seal

Even as the Freedom weaved between the entwined figures of duelling mobile suits and the remains of their fallen comrades the shots from the Frustration's Vulcan cannons managed to pepper the exterior of the white suit. The Rouge soared just out of reach of the Frustration as it rapidly shot beams from its rifle at the relentless, six-armed, pursuer. The Frustration moved fluidly to avoid each of the beams, sometimes moving mere inches, but avoiding them all none the less.

Kira swore as another burst of fire exploded at the Freedom from the pursuing suit's Vulcan cannons. He twisted the controls and jabbed the coloured buttons on the control panel. Four beams from the Freedom's back mounted cannons crossed each other to mask the change in direction. Kira allowed himself a small smile and swung the Freedom round, ready to take the fight to the Frustration. Unfortunately the beams hadn't fooled Tom on bit, it seemed.

The Frustration's left fist slammed into the Freedom's head a fraction of a second before the beam rifle in the Frustration's right hand shot at the Freedom's chest at point blank range. The Freedom was flung away from the Frustration more by the beam rifle than from the punch but, nether the less, the white suit soared away from the black and silver suit with a flash and a bang.

Kira swore again as the Freedom spiralled out of control. The suit shook wildly again and the status screen flashed red repeatedly before another shock ran through the suit, causing the screen to go blank. He was about to call for backup when his hands suddenly grabbed hold of the controls again and spun the suit round furiously. His finger danced across the controls board and the Freedom's back mounted cannons opened fire on the Frustration. The black suit had to barrel roll to avoid the beams but Kira's fingers were still working overtime and the cannons kept up the fire. Kira finally found his voice to protest with,

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked with a nervous frown. There was no need to name the person he was talking to. Dominic took full control of the body and spat onto the cockpit's floor,

"To win this battle we need to think outside the box." He explained as he shot at the Frustration with the cannons again. He grunted as the Freedom took another hit, "He's too good for us too beat in a standard fight Kira. We need to surprise him because he'll kill us if we don't. We need to be totally unexpected."

Kira only had a second to think it over but he didn't really need that long,

"What did you have in mind?" he asked Dominic, dreading the answer. Dominic didn't answer but the Freedom suddenly began laying down heavy fire on the Frustration with its back cannons but it was obvious that the shots were meant to distract, not destroy. He then pushed down on two buttons simultaneously. The two beams sabers housed in the knee joints of the Freedom shot upwards into the white suit's hands, already ignited. Kira raised his eyebrows,

"You're mad." He stated.

"I know." Dominic replied with a nod. The Freedom shot forwards to attack the Frustration head on through the beams still emerging from its back cannons. The pincer arms of the Frustration wrapped around the torso of the Freedom from behind, its other arms pinning the Freedom's sword arms upright. The pincers suddenly engaged and they sliced the Freedom in two before throwing both halves away.

Kira rolled his eyes as Dominic calmly sealed the gaping hole in the bottom of the top half of the Freedom with an artificial atmosphere,

"I'm tempted to say… I told you so but I think I know what you want to happen next. I just hope it does." He said with a scowl. Dominic nodded and turned on the com screens,

"Watch Kira." he instructed. Kira looked at the screen and it soon became clear that the Strike Rouge and the Frustration were duelling with beam sabers. Kira frowned,

"Why isn't Tom attacking Cagalli back? He's only blocking her attacks. She's wide open for god's sake!" he observed. Dominic nodded,

"That's the surprise element to the plan Kira. Tom has been caught on unfamiliar ground here." He smiled faintly, "Now we have to trust that Cagalli's anger is strong enough to kill him."

Kira shook his head,

"No. If my love for Lacus had taught me anything it is that love will overcome anger." He looked down at his feet, "We must trust that their love for each other is stronger than any anger and more commanding than any controlling orders."

The Second Seal

As the immeasurable carnage unfolded on the twin screens that filled up all four walls of the ship's bridge Meer twitched uncontrollably in her seat beside Lacus. She looked over at Lacus and saw the picture of calm. Lacus didn't seem to be at all bothered by the thousands of people that were lying down their lives in order to further her cause and to ensure the survival of the coordinators. She watched as Lacus averted her gaze as one of the friendly mobile suits was ripped but didn't explode, causing the pilot to be sucked out into the vacuum of space.

Meer was appalled by this sight but it got even worse when another mobile suit flew into the floating corpse and the man's body flew apart in a bloody haze. The screens shifted to another section of the massive battle. Lacus didn't even bat an eyelid out of time even while that gruesome display was plastered all across the room. Meer shook her head,

"We should tell Cagalli to stop supporting Kira and give some support to our other troops. They're getting slaughtered out there." She reasoned. Lacus didn't let any emotion cross her face,

"No. Beating Grayson must be our main priority." She countered. Meer bit her lip and nodded slowly,

"But what about the-?"

"Damn it Meer! I told you our plan so stick with the program!" Lacus roared, changing from completely indifferent to raging in an instant. Meer snarled back,

"I don't think you should be treating our men like they're expendable! These men trusted their lives to you!" she shouted back at her double. The soldiers of the bridge couldn't help but watch as their superior officers argued and the camera that the screens transmitted was allowed to wander. Lacus stood up abruptly and pointed a threatening finger down at Meer,

"And you and I both know that our best chance of success is the Freedom! Without Kira and Dominic even the most valiant efforts of our other soldiers will ultimately be in vain!" she explained loudly. Meer got to her feet to counter when she realised that Lacus' attention was now on the screens. And a look of absolute horror was etched into every cell that made up her fragile young face. Meer's rage slowly ebbed away and she followed Lacus' gaze.

The Frustration had locked itself around the Freedom from behind and the Freedom's hands were being held away to that the pincer arms of the Frustration were unobstructed. Meer shook her head in disbelief as she watched the twin pincers snap together, slicing straight through the Freedom to meet each other in middle. Her ears seemed to ringing and it took her numb body at least two minutes to realise that the ringing was actually Lacus screaming. Meer looked down at Lacus, who was sprawled out across the floor crying and wailing, in slow motion. Her actions seemed comically slow and only Lacus' cries carried on in normal time. The numbness slowly receded and she watched as Lacus wailed and kicked like a child during a nightmare. Meer knelt down beside Lacus and drew her up into a sitting position. Lacus shook her head repeatedly and tears streamed down the sides of her face, following the path set by many other tears before them. Lacus continued to wail,

"No! It… it wasn't supposed to be like this!" she flung her head back and let out a bone jarring cry, "KIRA!"

Meer gritted her teeth as her rage returned once again. This woman was not only sobbing and wailing completely in front of her own soldiers but she had bet the entire battle on the idea that Kira would win and come out of his own battle unscathed. And Kira, despite his best efforts, was unable to deliver on Lacus' dreamlike battle plan. Meer growled and slapped Lacus round the face, hard, once,

"Get a hold of yourself woman! You are the head of a military organisation! Your tears will ruin us quicker than any enemy missile or sword!" she shook Lacus even after she began to calm down, enjoying the feeling of power she had over her boss, "You stupid bitch, get a hold of yourself and help us figure a way out of this mess you've made! Call a retreat damn it!"

Lacus broke away from Meer with a forceful shove and scrambled to her feet,

"No! No retreat! We have to see this through!" her eyes, wild with sorrow and anguish, fixed on Meer, "If we retreat now we return to running and hiding and that is a fate worse than death! Our race will be tracked down through the stars slowly and live out the last years of its existence in squalor and death!"

Meer found her rage was unquenchable however and stood up again,

"What you talk about is suicide Lacus! Suicide!" she screamed at the other woman. Lacus suddenly stopped and looked up at the ceiling of the bridge with a dreaming expression. She looked back at Meer with the faint beginnings of a smile on her lips. She nodded gently,

"Suicide…" she mimicked in a soft voice. Meer raised an angry eyebrow, confused by Lacus' attitude,

"What are you talking about Lacus?" she asked with a frown. Lacus' faint beginnings of a smile turned into a loving smile and she walked, no, glided, across the bridge towards Meer. She grabbed hold of both of Meer's hands and calmness seemed to radiate from her and into her friend. Lacus' smile wavered a little as she looked into Meer's eyes,

"You are in charge now Meer. Just promise me this one last thing… no retreat." She looked at the floor with the same dreamy gaze that had been aimed at the ceiling not long ago, "We must never return to the dark spaces of the universe. It is so… cold out there."

Meer pulled her hands free of Lacus and watched as her dreamy friend walked away from the bridge. A shudder ran through Meer when it dawned on her that she'd just seen the ultimate death of a human being. The day their mind and soul are destroyed.

The Third Seal

The Deathscythe threw a punch at the Justice while it pushed the other Gundam into a building at the same time. The punch connected and the Justice was sent into the building, the wall crumbling around it. But the black suit wasn't finished with the red suit yet. The Deathscythe, its scythe too far away, satisfied itself with a large slab of brickwork that had once been part of the building that the Justice was no embedded in. With a mechanic whine, similar to a human scream, the Deathscythe slammed the slab of brickwork into the Justice's head. The piece of wall crumbled but not without doing a lot of damage to the red suit's sensors. The Deathscythe quickly grabbed hold of the Justice's hand, as if to help the down suit out of the building, but when he came to pulling the black suit didn't stop pulling and it flung the other Gundam behind it, into the side of the giant cannon. The Justice's head connected with the cannon's exterior and the red suit sank to its knees.

The Deathscythe walked over to the struggling mobile suit and grabbed its head from behind. It pulled the head back before slamming it back into the side of the cannon with such ferocious speed that the eyes of the Justice cracked and out of the glass sheets shattered completely and showered onto the ground. The Deathscythe was about to repeat this process when the Justice acted. The left leg of the Justice ignited its footheld beam saber and slashed randomly in the direction of the Deathscythe. The foot of the Deathscythe came down heavily on the left ankle of the Justice, so heavily that the ankle joint snapped off completely and the beam saber clattered to the floor harmlessly. With a kick to the back from the Deathscythe the Justice fell onto the floor face first.

Duo knew that he was in total control of this battle but he wasn't letting his success go to his head, instead he was calm and reserved, ready to deal with one of Garth's tricks if one presented itself. But the truth was Duo was actually rather enjoying beating Garth around like this. Even though Garth was in a very advanced mobile suit he was nowhere near good enough to beat Duo and the Deathscythe. The beam saber was still ignited on the ground in front of the Deathscythe and it was only now that Duo really paid any attention to it.

The Deathscythe stooped down to pick up the discarded beam saber and that was when Garth chose to strike. The right leg of the Justice soared upwards, its beam saber ignited. The strike was a hit, if only a mild one, and the beam saber tore through the left side of the Deathscythe's face piece. The Deathscythe reeled back in disarray and the Justice capitalised. The double jointed mobile suit twisted round on its front so that all three of its remaining limbs were aimed at the Deathscythe, a beam saber attached to each limb. The thrusters on the back of the Justice ignited quickly and the red suit rocketed towards the Deathscythe with its three points of death.

The attack was almost a success but Duo had been waiting for just such and attack. The Deathscythe sidestepped the attack expertly and reached out with its right arm as the Justice threatened to fly straight past. The Justice came to a complete halt when the Deathscythe's hand grasped one of its limbs. With a twist of its wrist the Deathscythe slammed the Justice down into the tarmac. The ice and the ground beneath it cracked under the impact and steam began to issue from the thrusters of the Justice. The limb that the Deathscythe was holding went limp and Duo relinquished the black Gundam's hold on the limp limb.

Confident that the Justice was in no position to mount a quick sneak attack Duo turned the Deathscythe away from the downed red suit and made his way over to the ruined building that he'd punched the Justice into not too long ago. The Deathscythe reached into the crumbling building and yanked a steel beam free from the doomed structure. With a quick hit to the ground the girder split at the end to form a natural point. The Deathscythe held the girder like it normally did a sword and made its way back over to the Justice.

The Justice waited until the Deathscythe was standing directly over it with its new weapon in hand before attacking. The main cannon housed in the chest piece of the Justice flared into life and shot a large beam directly upwards at the Deathscythe's head. The beam narrowly missed but the Deathscythe had to lean backwards while taking a couple of steps backwards. Because of this unstable combination of movements the Deathscythe had to flail with its arms in its attempt to stay upright. It managed to stay upright but the girder flew out of its hand to stick into an unscathed wall, the point sticking outwards horizontally.

The Justice managed to get up onto its undamaged hands and used them as its feet as it pulled itself into an upside down standing position. The single limb that pointed to the sky suddenly pointed its beam saber point at the Deathscythe, which had only just managed to maintain its balance. The Deathscythe was suddenly the worse off of the two mobile suits and it slowly backed away from the Justice. But to be denied its chance at victory seemed to be something that was not high up on the Justice's to do list and it gave chase to the Deathscythe, showing remarkable skill at running on its hands instead of its feet. Without hesitation the Deathscythe turned tail and ran from the monstrous tripod of a mobile suit.

Duo was still very calm considering the sudden change in fortunes and he'd already switched his mind to the purpose of trying to find a way to switch the favour of the battle back to his side. While he was thinking the Justice caught up with the Deathscythe and slammed its new fist into its back. The Deathscythe fell forwards into the ruins of the mess building, spinning during its fall to better defend itself against the renewed assault that was sure to come.

The Justice's beam saber came crashing down towards the Deathscythe's head but the Deathscythe managed to quickly move its head to the side, avoiding the stabbing beam saber very narrowly. The Justice tried to attack again when it realised that the beam saber was trapped in the building that it had stabbed into when the Deathscythe had moved its head. The Deathscythe quickly searched with its sensors and Duo smiled wickedly at the results of the scanning. The Deathscythe punched the Justice's single upright arm, breaking the hand that held the beam saber, but instead of going for the trapped beam saber the Deathscythe reached out to the left and grabbed hold of an average looking pole that protruded from the rubble of the mess building. The Justice quickly made its way backwards on its hands, its disable foot still above it as its only method of attack. The Deathscythe stood up, the pole coming free with it as the black machine detangled itself from the ruins. The pole seemed normal at first but then at the bottom end a triangle of beam energy ignited, pointing behind the Deathscythe.

The Deathscythe swung its scythe round and slashed at the Justice with the scythe expertly. With a quick jump the Justice escaped with only one of its attached beam sabers being severed from its feet. Still on the attack the Deathscythe slashed at the Justice again, this time managing to land a cut on the main body itself, bellow the cockpit of the suit. Duo's screen flickered on and he waved sarcastically at Garth,

"Having fun trying to kill the god of Death?" he chuckled for the first time since his arrival on the base, "I didn't think so."

The Forth Seal

Heero hid behind the corner with his pistol in his right hand and the knife that Duo had given him in the left. His breathing was calm and regular, the blood on his face had dried long ago with the help of all the plaster dust that had been floating around in the air when the Zero had fallen to the ground. But he wasn't with his mobile suit anymore. Oh no. He didn't have anything with limitations anymore. He was the ultimate machine, built for war and built to last. He stopped breathing and braced himself.

The two guards in patrolling the corridor had no chance when Heero spun out from behind the corner and they both knew it. The pistol wasn't silenced, Heero didn't want it to be quiet, and the sound of the three shots echoed throughout the long, empty, corridors of the facility. Both guards stiffened as the bullets hit them before they fell to the floor, blood cascading down their torsos from where the bullets had slammed into their fragile mortal coil.

Alarm klaxons sounded throughout the base and Heero stopped and watched, with amusement, as the light in the base suddenly switched from regular, white, light to red light. He shook his head as he walked straight down the main corridor towards the double doors. The two guards in front of the door didn't even know he was approaching before a red hole burst its way into being in each of their chests. They slumped against the wall before sliding down it, leaving two trails of sticky blood on the otherwise clean walls. Both doors opened immediately and another guard stormed through, alarmed by the sound of shots. He flew backwards onto his backside as the bullet slammed into his forehead. Heero dropped the empty magazine and loaded another one before kicking the double doors open and walking into the main control room. The scientists and technicians didn't pay him any mind and the other people on the walkway with him were busy looking at the main screen. Heero coughed but no one looked his way. He frowned before pointing his gun up in the air and loosing off a shot.

Everyone in the room looked his way and a lump of plaster fell from the ceiling to crash at his feet in a cloud of white dust. It suddenly occurred to Heero that he was absolutely covered in dried blood and white plaster dust. He must look like some sort of avenging ghost to them. He simply pointed at the woman in the middle of the walkway, obviously the leader down here,

"I want you to self detonate the cannon." He pulled back the hammer on his pistol and pointed it at the woman, "Now."

The woman looked at him and then looked at her guards,

"Do I know you?" she asked, self confidence dripping from her very being. Heero didn't bother speaking in response but fired the gun. The bullet hammered into the chest of one of the guards and the others sprung into action, firing wildly at Heero as they pushed the woman behind them and behind a concrete pillar at the other end of the walkway. Heero hid behind one of the pillars on his side of the walkway and the firing came to an uneasy stop. Heero tapped the edge of the pillar with the pistol's tip,

"So who are you?" he asked the woman on the other side of the room. The woman laughed,

"So you've come to kill me and you don't even know my name?" she giggled to herself in a way that no child could laugh, "That's just weird."

"I told you. I'm here to destroy the cannon, not kill you." He explained. The woman laughed again,

"Same thing in this instance Mr Stranger. The explosion would kill us all if it were to occur." Heero could tell she had a smug smile on her face and she continued, "But my name is Flay. What's yours?"

Heero thought for a moment before whipping round the corner. The two guards that had been sneaking up on Heero were taken unawares and he shot them both dead. Once done Heero went back behind the pillar,

"My name's Heero Yuy, it's a pleasure to meet you Flay." He said as he reloaded his pistol. Flay giggled again,

"Likewise Mr Yuy."

The Fifth Seal

Meer frowned as she looked around the bridge. She was still the only female on the bridge, which was unusual because Lacus was normally there as well. But Meer knew that Lacus wasn't going to be up to commanding troops anytime soon, she's watched as the other woman's mind fell apart.

Without waiting another second Meer stormed out of the bridge and through the empty corridors towards Lacus' quarters on board the massive command ship. Even in hiding coordinators didn't do things in half measures. She didn't want to argue with Lacus, despite her ever present anger with the other woman; she just wanted to comfort her friend. Ever since Cagalli's words had started to affect her she'd held a large amount of pent up anger that screamed to be forced up and out of her throat in order to assault Lacus. But she was going to show herself, and Lacus, that she controlled her anger and it was not, and never would be, the other way round. That was how monster like Garth Marco were born. With grim resolve Meer entered Lacus' quarters with a push of a button.

Something should have told her that something was wrong. In all those crappy action films, and even in the horror films, the heroic young woman was given a sign before she saw IT. IT being the highlight of the movie, the series of images that she would take with her to the grave.

Meer received a sign but she was too focused to notice the tiny, little clues that lay on the floor, literally dripping evidence of IT. Her head was too clear to even notice that the light in the room was a pleasant shade of pink.

She walked round the corner and into the living room proper. Only then did she see the familiar figure. Only then did she see the blood flowing freely down the body's curves. Only then did she see Lacus swaying slightly, naked, bloodied and hanging by the cord that held the light in place, the white wire wrapped tightly around her neck. Only then did she see, IT.

Meer looked at the terrible sight in front of her, unable to pry her eyes away from her friend's gruesome suicide. And it was suicide. Meer could see that clearly now. She could see the bloody razor blades littering the floor. She could see the ladder. She could see the bloodied light.

After the state of freezing shock came the twin fires of sorrow untamed and the terror so aptly named as The End. Her legs shook violently and she was only dimly aware that she'd fallen to her knees when she felt the pain jar her mind. The quiet beep of the communication's screen, which dominated the longest wall of the lounge, was almost buried by Meer's uncontrollable sobbing.

She managed to turn her head towards the screen, mostly because it meant looking behind her, not at the hanging corpse of her best friend. The four, white, words that flashed on the black screen rammed even more horror into her heart. **Transmission from the Freedom.**

Kira Yamato's face covered the screen immediately, a grin on his face that seemed demonic in nature when Meer related it to the scene that he was surveying. But Kira's grin slowly died and slid off his face into the dark abyss as he took in what he was seeing. The razor cuts from head to toe. The swaying corpse of his one, true, love.

For a man who's heart and soul had just been torn to shreds he took it pretty well. Tear sprang forth in abundance and he placed his hands on his screen in dismay to block the image,

"LACUS! Oh god no…! Lacus!" he bellowed before he collapsed forwards onto a control bank. Meer acted quickly, swallowing her own feelings as she did so,

"Kira! I'm Lacus! I'm ok!" she shouted at the screen, fresh tears in her eyes. She didn't understand why she'd said it herself, she was destroying her relationship with Heero, almost tearing her heart out, because she couldn't bear to see Kira dying inside. She would later tell herself that it was because she knew, deep down, that Heero would hurt inside but he would carry on. She wasn't so sure that Kira could. Kira slowly lifted his sobbing head,

"L-Lacus…? T-that's…not you… up there…?" he asked, nervous about the answer to say the least. Meer nodded,

"It's Meer Kira. She thought something had happened to Heero…" she lied, her tears coming hard and fast. Kira sobbed slightly less,

"Poor Meer… poor Heero… and he really loved her…" he sobbed and gasped. Meer nodded, shutting her eyes tight to block the tears,

"I know… I know…"

The Sixth Seal

The Deathscythe avoided yet another jab from the Justice and its beam saber. With a quick movement the black machine lunged and grabbed hold of the Justice's head. The metallic hand began to twist and shake the head violently and high voltage sparks issued from the straining neck joints. The arms flailed madly before falling still as the head was pulled clean off the red machine. Duo flicked a switch and the Deathscythe's cockpit opened up. He stood up and walked to the edge of the walkway,

"Come on Marco. You've lost, now give it up!" he called out through the speakers. More sparks issued from the Justice as its cockpit opened slowly. A bedraggled looking Garth stood up from the controls,

"And this is your last chance. Join me or be destroyed like your friends." He declared to Duo with the mad enthusiasm of a lunatic with a dream. Duo shook his head, too tired and too focused to joke about Garth's situation,

"No Garth. You've lost this battle and you've lost the war." He insisted humourlessly. Garth cackled wildly,

"You'll regret it!" he vowed. Duo turned his back on Garth to walk back to his seat,

"I seriously doubt that." He sated calmly. Garth's mad features suddenly contorted in anger immeasurable,

"No one turns their back on me!" he shouted as he pushed the button.

"**NO!**" Heero cried as he watched the centre cannon of the Justice fire a blast directly at the chest of the Deathscythe. The screen crackled a bit before the video feed closed in on the sparking hole that went clean through the black machine. Heero was only dimly aware that he'd gotten out from behind her cover to watch the screen. Bullets from the other end of the walkway exploded towards him.

Heero's horror at Duo's death was momentarily forgotten as an insufferable pain, quite literally, erupted from his right ankle, the red, liquid, pain flew from under him with the force of the blow. His mind worked even as his body clattered to the floor. The pain was an excuse to articulate his loss as he wanted to most. Tears misted his vision and he let out an animalistic scream, not of agony but of anguish. Flay stood at the other end of the walkway and cupped her hands around her mouth,

"My plan worked! The bastard's dead! FIRE THE CANNON!" she yelled in a confident voice. She wasn't so confident when Heero's arm swung round, gun in hand. Now came the most important split-second decision of Heero's life. Stop the technician, who was running to a control panel, and save the fleet. Or take revenge on the woman whose plan had killed his best friend. The best friend he'd ever had.

Heero's arm continued on its arc and Heero found Flay in his gun sight. She was too shocked to move. It was a clear shot. Not even his misty eyes would stop him nailing this shot. His morals strained against him as he acted purely on impulse and fired twice.

The technician jerked forwards suddenly before falling onto the nearest control panel, twitching as he used the last of his energy. And pushed the button.

Flay flung her head back and cackled madly. He'd made the morally right decision, Meer would be proud. But it was too late. Flay's guards rushed over to Heero and aimed their guns at him. He slowly pushed his pistol away and lay on his side. Flay walked over to him slowly, savouring her victory, and sneered down at him,

"You've lost Heero." She said with a satisfied smirk, "But we'll keep you. Put a chip in you head and you'll be our little slave. Just like Tom."

Heero looked at the screen and smiled. The view had changed and he could see the Strike Rouge floating in front of the Frustration. Both had open cockpits. He knew what they were doing,

"He's not your slave anymore."

The Seventh Seal

The Frustration suddenly stopped in its relentless pursuit of the Rouge and looked down at the Earth. Cagalli frowned and stopped the Rouge. She was tempted to use the distraction, no matter what it was, as a chance to destroy the Frustration but she instead focused one of the Rouge's scanners on the earth. Her thoughts went numb in her mind and seemed to fall apart as the problem dawn on her. Because there, in the state of Alaska, a small circle of light flickered violently. Heero and Duo had failed to destroy the enemy's super weapon and now it was going to be fired at the assembled fleet.

She was still contemplating the impending disaster when a beep issued from her control panel. The Frustration had been slowly moving towards the Rouge. The Rouge's thrusters immediately flared up and the pink suit flew out of the Frustration's reach. Just when she was about to fire at the Frustration one of her communication's screens switched itself on and Tom stared straight at her, his eyes burning brightly,

"You don't have time for this Cagalli!" he shouted at her, genuinely angry that she wanted to attack him. The Rouge levelled its blaster rifle at the Frustration anyway but Cagalli held fire,

"Why? What is the weapon?" she demanded of Tom. Secretly she was very aware that she was in no position to demand anything, she may be the one pointing the gun but Tom and the Frustration totally outclassed her. Tom knew this as well but he humoured her,

"It's a massive energy cannon. It takes five minutes to charge completely but once it is charged it will fire a single blast of energy." He paused to let it sink in before adding, "It will destroy the entire fleet. Maybe even the moon as well."

Cagalli's arms went numb and the Rouge mimicked her actions and lowered the rifle to her side,

"Then we're doomed… we can't stop it." She concluded grimly before resting her head in her hands and beginning to sob. The Frustration moved closer to the Rouge again and Cagalli was about to threaten Tom again when the Frustration's cockpit opened up and Tom stood on the edge of the cockpit in his space suit. He waved for Cagalli to come out. She reluctantly agreed and opened her own cockpit. With the two suits now so close together the ends of their cockpits touched and they walked out to meet each other in the middle. Cagalli tried to say something but Tom tapped the side of his helmet and shook his head. No sound in space.

Tom took a simple tube from his pocket and touched one end of it to his own helmet. It stuck fast. He then leaned forwards and touched the other end to Cagalli's helmet. Suddenly all she could hear was Tom's breathing mixed with her own. Tom nodded,

"Now we should be able to talk." He explained and gestured to the connecting tube. Cagalli nodded slowly,

"Why did we have to get out of our suits just to talk?" she asked, not looking Tom in the eye. Tom smiled slightly,

"It's more peaceful when no one's pointing guns." He said with a small hint at humour. Cagalli looked him in the eyes,

"Why did you do it Tom?" she asked coldly. Tom sighed and looked down at his feet,

"It's already been explained to you Cagalli." He replied bitterly. Cagalli shook her head,

"I want to hear you say it." She persisted. Tom looked back up at her,

"I did it because I couldn't disobey him." He said, relenting. Cagalli shook her head again, tears floating away from her eyes,

"Not that." She said slowly, careful not to sob. Tom raised his eyebrows,

"Then what?" he asked, genuinely surprised. Cagalli sobbed gently,

"I want you to tell me that you love me." But before Tom could answer she added, "And mean it. Don't just say it because he told you to!"

Tom suddenly lunged forwards and Cagalli began to panic when she felt his strong arms wrap around her tightly, but not too tightly. He was hugging her and the shock of it all caused her to cry even more. Tom watched as a tear of his own floated inside his helmet,

"Every time I told you… that I loved you…" he stopped himself when he found that he was sobbing as well, "I was the only one who man that decision. From the first time I saw you until the last glimpse I caught as he marched me away… I loved you Cagalli. And I still love you."

Cagalli, her heart so full of hate for this individual not a few hours ago, found herself gripping onto Tom even tighter; as if afraid he might disappear again. She sobbed once,

"I believe you Tom… and… and I love you too." She declared as she detached the tube to be able to rest her head on his shoulder. Tom looked past Cagalli and saw the upper half of the Freedom come floating nearby. The battered cockpit opened and Kira floated over to them. Tom attached two extra tubes so that their conversation would be heard by all three of them. Kira smiled weakly, his eyes red and sore,

"Looks like you two have made up." He noticed with a small note of happiness in his pained voice. Tom frowned,

"You sound rough Kira. Something wrong?" he asked as he and Cagalli kept on hugging each other. Kira nodded a little too quickly,

"I will be, with time." He replied. Tom nodded and gently pushed Cagalli away before growing serious again,

"The cannon has been charging for at least two minutes now. We have very little time to stop it but it can be stopped." He assured both Kira and Cagalli. They both sighed with relief. Cagalli frowned,

"Then what do we need to do to stop it?" she asked. Tom looked down at the glittering orb of the earth,

"We need to destroy the cannon's insides. Only then will it misfire." He explained. Kira nodded slowly,

"So all we have to do is fire a strong enough blast into the barrel of a massive cannon? Sounds easy enough." He reasoned. Tom nodded,

"That would be easy but it wouldn't work." He sighed, "The damage has to be quite low down inside the cannon. No shot would get that fire inside."

Both Cagalli and Kira nodded and went into deep thought. Tom slowly pulled the two tubes that connected to Cagalli so that he and Kira could talk without fear of being overheard,

"I have a way to destroy it." He explained. Kira nodded,

"Well why can't I tell Cagalli?" he asked, noticing how Cagalli was looking at them funny. Tom sighed,

"Because I'll have to fly the Frustration down into the barrel of the cannon and self detonate when I get far enough inside." He explained, looking out at Cagalli and smiling to reassure her. Kira almost fell backwards,

"What?! Are you crazy?! You'll be killed!" he screamed. Tom nodded,

"I know that." He replied quietly. Kira growled,

"Then why do it?!" he demanded. Tom looked up into Kira's eyes,

"Because she won't." he said simply. Kira looked from Cagalli to Tom and back again before nodding slowly,

"You love her that much?" he sighed, "What do you want me to do?"

Tom let out another, long and shuddering sigh,

"I want you to hold her back. She mustn't follow me." He explained. Kira nodded,

"When should I start?" he asked, trying hard not to look Cagalli in the eye. Tom replaced the tubes on Cagalli's helmet,

"Now." He commanded. Cagalli didn't know what was happening until she felt her arms being held behind her back by Kira. She shook her head wildly,

"What's going on Tom?!" she asked, afraid as she looked at Tom's mournful expression. Tom coughed to clear his throat,

"I need to self detonate inside the cannon in order-"

"NO! Tom you can't!" she burst out. Tom closed his eyes against the threatening tears and continued,

"In order to save you Cagalli. To save you I would give my own life a thousand times over." He vowed. Cagalli struggled against Kira's hold on her,

"No! Tom don't! I love you Tom! I don't want to be without you!" she shouted at him, her helmet glistening with floating tears. Tom nodded,

"I love you too Cagalli but you can live without me." He looked her in the eyes, "But I could never live without you."

She struggled some more and screamed wildly,

"No! We could just escape the blast! Come away with me Tom!" she offered, "We could live our lives out together on a deserted island somewhere! Just the two of us!"

Tom's eyes forced themselves shut even tighter. That had always been the dream they'd shared when they'd laid in bed beside each other at night. He took the tubes off all three of them and pressed his helmet against Cagalli's. She continued to shout and scream but he couldn't hear her. He sighed and slowly said,

"I love you, but live your life without me."

Tom slowly stepped backwards from Cagalli, watching as she struggled against her brother's hold. He walked back into the Frustration and sat back down in the controls. He reached out and grabbed hold of a single button on a length of wire. He pressed it down and held it in position. Light burst through the gaps in the Frustration's armour but it didn't self detonate. The button was a fuse. When he let it go the suit would explode. He waved with his free hand and closed the cockpit.

Cagalli wailed and screamed as the cockpit closed. She kicked and struggled as the Frustration angled itself down towards earth and blasted away with its thrusters. She cried herself hoarse but carried on screaming anyway as the black suit passed through the atmosphere.

The Frustration fell fast through the thick clouds in the Alaska sky. Black against the blue of the afternoon sky it streaked downwards, not bothering to steer. Its course had been marked out already by the targeting computer. It was heading straight for the cannon, straight for the barrel and straight to its destruction. Suddenly the black suit vanished from the sky, shooting down the massive barrel of the cannon. A beeping noise sounded when the suit had passed bellow the necessary depth for success. Tom let go of the button.

A relatively small hole appeared in the side of the massive cannon, fire and debris flying from it. The explosion finally came to a halt and all was silent save the hum of the charging cannon. And then the cannon fired. But instead of the energy going out the end of the barrel it surged through the hole in the side instead, instantly laying waste to the few buildings that were left standing, burying both the black mobile suit and the red one with the sheer mass of the debris. The cannon itself slowly collapsed in on itself with no support at the bottom. When it finally collapsed fully it kicked up a huge dust cloud that blacked the skyline of Alaska and covered the entire area in thick brick dust.

Cagalli looked down at the destruction from space and cried into her helmet. The tube had been reattached and Kira could hear each of her sobs, each one like a dagger stabbing straight into the heart of him. Kira sniffed,

"It'll be okay Cagalli…" he tried. Cagalli shook her head,

"No it won't! He's dead Kira! He's dead! The man I loved is dead and IT IS NOT OK!" she yelled at him before falling to her knees. Kira sank to his knees beside her and tried to speak but couldn't think of anything that he could say that would make it better. Dominic piped up,

"There's nothing that either of us can say to make it ok Cagalli." He told her, getting her attention, "But please honour his memory. Remember what he told you Cagalli. He loved you too but he wanted you to live, even if it meant that when you finally saw him again it would be at the pearly gates of heaven."

Cagalli nodded and sniffed weakly before resting her head against Kira's arm as she watched Tom's final act to save her unfold on the pure orb of the earth bellow.

After Scene

The bricks and stones formed countless piles that marked the landscape like the craters of a battlefield. Each stone was covered with its own layer of dust and other types of debris, at least two feet deep. Only the rats were able to live in this barren landscape now and one of them scuttled over to the top of a particularly big mound of rubble before sitting there to silently nibble on the bit of meat it had managed to find.

A stone moved slightly and the rat hunched over, its ears perked up in an attempt to find the source of the noise and the movement. The stone to its left moved again and the rat scurried away in panic and fear. It got a few feet away before turning around to look at the stone again. It was quiet and still. The rat was slowly starting to relax when the stone shot straight up into the air and landed with a heavy _Thud!_ And few yards away. The rat cowered as something fleshy forced its way out through the hole left by the stone. It was red and raw but it was burnt as well. Not only that but it was moving, quite constructively, to make the hole wider.

The rat watched as the raw flesh of the creature threw stone after stone away from the heap of rubble until the hole was at least a metre wide. The raw fleshy thing then spread itself out on the edge of the hole and pushed downwards. A long, straight, part of the fleshy thing extended from the back of the creature. It wasn't long until the rat became aware of what the creature was. The head was emerging, with the shoulders following shortly, and it was clear, even with the torn, bleeding, raw and destroyed muscle and skin, that the creature was human.

The creature may have once been human but now it only resembled the shape of a human being. Its skin was tattered and destroyed and almost all of its face was exposed skull and, in some places, brain. The creature pulled itself out of the hole totally and stood up on shaking legs that were nothing but ligaments and bones. Another hand appeared at the edge of the hole and another human pulled itself clear from the depths of the mount of rubble.

A woman pulled herself up and out of the hole but she didn't bother trying to stand up, instead choosing to crawl for a bit before resting, panting heavily. She looked human, unlike her companion. She had long, dirty, red hair and pale skin that was made paler still by the various kinds of dust that littered the rubble heap. She turned her head and looked at the creature that had once been human. Skin was slowly reforming along the creature as well as other features, including eyes. The creature turned and looked down at the woman. It moved its arm slowly, as if in pain but unable to scream out. The woman shook her head violently and tried to crawl backwards,

"No… what are you going to do to me you… you… you freak!" she shouted at the creature. The creature's skin came together in patches before tying itself together to form a total layer of skin. The creature was now visibly human, a human male to be precise. Brown hair sprouted from its once bald head and grew into tall spikes. The male tested the muscles in its arms and neck, testing its repaired muscles. The male looked down at the female growled slightly,

"Don't call me that. Otherwise I might just kill you here rather than bring you in." he explained to the female. The female laughed hysterically,

"Bring me in? You're going to bring me in?" she flipped her red hair and laughed mockingly. The male nodded,

"Yes. You will stand trial for you crimes in a court of law Flay Allster." The male said confidently. The female, obviously named Flay, pouted,

"And here I was thinking you'd protected me because you liked me." She said, mocking the male yet again, "But it turns out that the merciless Heero Yuy is showing pity for little old me."

The male, apparently one Heero Yuy, spat at the ground in front of the woman,

"I'm only doing it for Meer. If it wasn't for her you'd have you choice of which pile of rubble to be buried under." He said with a menacing growl, "Meer is the only reason you're still alive."

Little did he know. Oh how little he knew.


	24. EpiloguePrologue

**Disclaimer: ****Regular disclaimer really. I am only writing this piece of fan fiction to practise my writing skills and to raise the awareness of certain deeds that should never be repeated through another medium. I own none of the rights to anything mentioned in the story following this disclaimer save for my OCs and the mobile suits the Z1 Respite, Z2 Constrict and the Z3 Frustration. **

**Notice:**** This is just a little preview of the sequel story arc, seeing as this is the first chapter of the next arc but as the Prologue. Hope this ties up some loose ends left over from the story's ending.**

Epilogue/ Prologue

Better with time

Heero looked around the barren landscape taking in the vast emptiness of what used to be the buzzing hive of activity in Alaska, Garth Marco's prime research base. The orange sand flew across the plane gently on the wind, forming up in sand drifts all along the side of the collapsed cannon and the buildings that had once stood proud and tall. As he looked at the cannon, now swathed in the sand, he couldn't help but think of the suicidal attack that had brought it down. It had been one of the stupidest attacks Heero had ever seen, with only a slight chance of success to begin with. But, he had to admit, the kid had done what had been expected of him. He paused in his observations for a moment. Had he just referred to Tom as a kid? The guy had been older than him in years, and maybe even in mind a few hours ago. But something had changed inside Heero, an indescribable change that he was still wrestling with deep inside of himself and he was still unsure of the eventual outcome, or its effects.

The sound of a stone rolling along the fine sand of the hill behind him alerted him to Flay's intentions. He didn't even bother to act smug but rather just held up his hand to tell her to stop,

"Quiet Flay. I'm listening for any engine sounds." He said slowly, drawing each word out to make it seem mocking without actually mocking her, "I survived the cannon's destruction and even managed to pry myself free from the pile of rubble we were trapped under. Do you really think that a stone to the back of the head will do it?"

Flay stood, the stone held high above her head in shaking hands, and shuddered at the truth in his words. She was about to put the stone down peacefully but her fingers slipped and suddenly the large stone fell from her grip and onto the crown of Heero's head. A gasp escaped her and she watched as Heero's lifeless body fell to the ground, blood oozing lazily from a jagged line in his skull. Without another thought she turned in a random direction and ran away from the body as fast as her legs would carry her. With the red sand whipping up around her feet she sped down the covered mound of rubble. A faint glimmer of hope ran through her exhausted body as she spotted a large piece of black metal jutting up out of the ground. Without a second thought she hid behind it and gave a shuddering sigh of relief.

There was something else behind the sheltering piece of armour however. Five pieces of the same, black, metal were joined together in the shape of a coffin, with the fifth piece being the lid on top. Strangely coincidental as it looked, the resemblance to a coffin was remarkably uncanny. Suddenly one of the side panels shifted slightly and out of the gap that it made came a pale, human, hand. Flay slowly extended her hand and touched the pale hand's wrist, searching for a pulse. Not only did she find one but one of the hand's fingers brushed against her hand gently. In panicked hasted, she scurried backwards and gathered her breath for an almighty scream. A hand came from behind her and covered her mouth as she tried to let out the compressed air. Heero leaned in closed to her left ear,

"I forgot to mention Flay… don't touch anything." He said to her sternly. She was about to struggle when the hand twitched again. Once again showing that survivors' were being found was still a distinct possibility. Heero wasn't interested in the mystery of the coffin and the pale hand so much as mildly annoyed so her left Flay in her state of shock, and walked over to the side of the coffin. Flay looked at him expectantly. Heero kicked the side panel once and the 'coffin' caved in on itself in a cloud of red sand.

Flay gasped, half expecting a nuclear zombie to rear up and attack Heero. There was, of course, no zombie and hence no rearing-up and no ensuing brain eating. Heero shook his head and pulled aside the top panel from on top of the body. He looked down at the pale face, the sparkling eyes and the clean, white, teeth. And he smiled. Heero held his right hand out for the body and Flay watched, with ever mounting fear, as the body's hand clasped the offered hand and Heero pulled the man to his feet. The man turned to face Flay with his characteristic grin. Flay stumbled backwards,

"B-but… he shot you!" she exclaimed in horror. Duo Maxwell flung his head back, almost hitting Heero in the face with his matted braid,

"That he did. I **am** dead." He said, putting her at ease somewhat before laughing again, almost evilly, "But if you can see me then you are dead too!"

Flay clawed madly at her eyes, as if blinding herself would stop herself from being 'dead',

"No!" she cried with pain and terror. Heero frowned at his friend,

"Stop messing with her head Duo. It's already fucked up beyond all recognition." He said, breaking Duo's illusion. Duo frowned and glanced sideways at Heero,

"Killjoy." He muttered. Flay shook her head desperately,

"D-duo is… a-a-alive?!" she asked, tears tumbling down her face at this casual display that had shattered her perspective of the world around her. Duo rolled his eyes,

"Did you hit her on the head with a stone by any chance?" he asked Heero with a smile. Although it had been made with sarcasm in mind, Heero responded with the truth,

"No, an entire building."

"You don't do things in half measures do you?"

"Nope."

"I hear the engines pf a transport ship Mr Yuy. Gunna get on it or do we need to bring down another building?"

"Nah Duo. I think we're good."

"Well that's good."

"Yes it is."

"Has anyone ever told you that answering everything literally is really annoying?"

"No."

"You would have thought they would have."

"Well they haven't."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what again?"

"AH! Put me back in the coffin! My own company is better than this!"

"Why's that Duo?"

"Because I'm hilarious!"

"You're delusional with thirst."

"That too!"

The Frontier of Loss

Kira stood in silence, his hands clasped behind his back as the coffin was assembled. It was for the biggest funeral in the history of his home dimension, but it was still going to be the second biggest funeral of both dimensions. But he'd tried to show everyone her importance in the new ear that would immerge from her actions. And, as Lacus would say, it was the thought that counted. His shoulders sagged a bit and a delicate hand came to rest on his right shoulder,

"You did your best Kira and her actions will be known." Meer said, ignoring the irony of talking about her own funeral. The very fact that the coffin being assembled had her name on it sent shivers down her spine whenever she thought about it. And it was hard not to think about it with the shining, inscribed, piece of bronze staring her in the face, glinting mockingly. Kira nodded and put his arm around her waist gently. Meer shivered again. Every time he touched her it set about her skin crawling and her heart aching. She was his Lacus now but she wouldn't love him like she had. In fact the very idea of giving her love to someone, other than Heero, made her want to be violently ill. But she was broken out of her reprieve as the door opened and a distraught looking Cagalli stormed into the room, waving a piece of paper madly in the air,

"What the hell Lacus?!" she demanded, almost screaming at Meer. Meer sighed,

"You got the details of Tom's funeral then?" she asked, only asking the question to be civil. Cagalli, however, was in no mood to be civil,

"You booked it for the same time as the Meer funeral **AND** you've given it the smallest room you could manage!" she shouted at Meer, causing Kira to get slightly annoyed. But Cagalli continued, "He ended the war for us! He sacrificed himself! Don't you care about him?!"

With her angry attitude towards his Lacus, Kira snapped and spun round to face his sister,

"NO!" He bellowed, making Cagalli cower back for a few seconds, "No one cared about Tom when he was alive and no one cares any more now that he's dead Cagalli!"

Cagalli turned defiant again,

"That man that 'no one' cared about did more to help our people with one deed than a bitch who cut herself ever cou-!" she argued but stopped when Kira grabbed hold of her wrist tightly,

"Don't you dare say Meer was worse than that piece of scum human pawn you called a lover!" he warned her viciously. Cagalli slapped Kira across the face with her free hand as hard as she could,

"You bastard Kira! You were there! You saw what he did for me! You saw how much he cared for me! He loved me Kira!" she protested. Kira's cheek stung but he ignored it and shook her violently,

"Wake up Cagalli! He was a traitor and an evil bastard to boot! You were **NOTHING** to him!" he yelled in his sister's face. Cagalli's façade fell apart and tears ran down her face and she finally broke free from his grip and slowly walked backwards towards the door,

"I hate you. I'd rather **die** like Tom, a good person, than have **YOU** as my brother! I never want to see you again Kira! I hate you!" she screamed before running out of the room in a flurry of tears and wailing cries. Kira growled and turned to his Lacus,

"Can you believe that? She thinks I'm the bad guy here!" he said indignantly before returning to watching the casket being assembled. Meer, tears blurring her vision struck out, slapping him round the face just like Cagalli had,

"You are the monster Kira." She said quietly, "You defiled the memory of the man she loved Kira. You can't do that to someone that you love Kira!"

Kira gave a long sigh and rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed as he thought for a moment. He nodded slowly,

"You're right. I'm sorry. I've just…" he stopped for a moment, "Been getting this weird feeling inside me lately. It's… kind of emptiness but the only thing I can fill it with at this moment is anger. I need you to help me with it Lacus."

Meer nodded and the tears descended,

"Of course I will Kira. Come on. I'll show you how to fill it with love." She said softly before leading Kira off by the hand to their bedroom.

Nothing keeps me together, at the seams

Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell stepped out of the shuttle and onto the main corridor of the Luna base's conference wing in the tattered and charred remains of their flight suits. The ones that's they'd fought, lost and were finally buried in. But the fact that you could see their skin through the tears and cuts just made it look more and more like something that could be turned into a fashion statement. Well, the photographers, interviewers and other forms of media dogs certainly liked the fact that their live feeds to earth and the Plants was full of tall, handsome and well muscled young men. They surged forwards to meet the new arrivals but the thin line of military personal held them at bay. Heero and Duo looked out at the vast sea of reporters and cameramen. Heero shook his head dismissively and Duo only gave them a fleeting grin before pulling on the cord that he held in his right hand. Flay walked out of the shuttle behind the two of them, flanked by two more military personal, her hands bound by the cord that Duo used to lead her around like a leash. Flay spat angrily at Heero's back as the media managed to let loose a collective shout of different questions, only succeeding in making a wall of sound that almost blocked Flay's words,

"You didn't tell me that they'd parade me around in front of the media Heero. You promised me a fair trail and a sentence. Nothing more Heero!" she shouted at him as Duo handed her leash to one of the soldiers. Heero turned to her and bowed his head briefly,

"I know Miss Allster. I didn't expect this welcome anymore than you did. But I am sure that the trail will be private and the judgement just." He said with another curt nod before Flay was slowly led away by the soldiers. She cackled madly and camera lenses clicked shut repeatedly,

"You fool Heero! This is exactly how it always starts! Even Garth started like this! First, the media is used like baying puppies, and then the people who are a threat are eliminated! Then comes the dictator! He'll sweep all of your democracy away Heero! He'll be the end of you all Mr Yuy! Mark my words!" she screamed above the roar of the reporters and the camera men. Duo looked at Heero as Flay disappeared from sight, slightly unnerved by her rant,

"She's… got a point there Heero." He said slowly, "Dictators do start out this way."

Heero shook his head, equally as slow,

"Kira wouldn't be able to. With Lacus and Meer by his side he'll always do what's right. They'll make sure of it." He said soundly, sounding a lot surer than he felt. Duo bit his lower lip,

"Only Meer would really steer him in the right path… I have a feeling that Lacus would let her feelings get in the way." He said, eyeing the armed soldiers nervously. Heero patted him reassuringly on the shoulder,

"But Meer will be there as well Duo. He'll be fine." Heero said with a faint smile. Duo frowned and the two of them were slowly led away by two of the soldiers.

They were escorted around the media area and into a series of long corridors lined with large, marble, archways. Each archway led into its own, large, and luxuriously furnished room. Duo busied himself by looking inside each of the rooms as they walked by them. He was starting to get bored of this activity as well until her noticed Cagalli at the far end of one of the rooms, knelt down on the floor. He stopped and stared, trying to see what it was that she was looking at. Heero looked to his right and didn't see Duo there. With a frown he turned and saw Duo standing in front of the open archway,

"What are you doing Duo?" he asked his friend and stopped walking too. Duo frowned and beckoned for Heero to come closer,

"I think I see Cagalli in this room Heero." He told his friend. Heero shook his head but walked over to the archway as well. He nodded slowly as he too saw Cagalli hunched over something, her shoulders rising and falling with jagged movements,

"She's crying Duo…" he whispered before slowly walking into the room. Duo followed his friend and they made their way over to Cagalli who was indeed crying. Duo placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped at his touch,

"Hey, hey Cagalli. It's just me… the loveable Duo." He said with a small grin. She looked up at him with blood shot eyes, her cheeks soaking wet,

"Duo…? You and Heero came back for Tom's ceremony?" she asked, her voice weak from wailing and crying. Duo opened his mouth to respond but Heero spoke before he could,

"Yes Cagalli. We won't miss a ceremony dedicated to a friend like Tom. He was the hero of this war, it is the least we could do." He said, staring hard at Duo over Cagalli's head. Duo nodded as he got the message. The truth would hurt more than any lie at this point. Cagalli tried to chuckle but her throat was so sore that it came as a croak,

"Well we three here are the ceremony… and **that** is his thanks." She pointed down at the floor, just in front of her feet. Both Heero and Duo stared down with a heavy feeling in their stomachs when they saw what Tom's thanks had materialised. A single, unremarkable and badly polished bronze plaque. It didn't even have his name on it, only a poor quality engraving of the Frustration. The heavy feeling grew hot inside his gut and Heero clenched his fists,

"How could they allow this? This man gave his life for us!" he bellowed, this being enough to let his emotions rise to the surface. Duo nodded, his own face twisted in rage,

"A man gives his life to end a war and this is thanks he gets?! We need to take this to them guys, for Tom's memory." He concluded grimly. Cagalli nodded and Duo helped her to her feet,

"Come on. I know exactly where to find Kira. And we can make a big scene about it in front of the cameras. Follow me guys."

Ever a Broken man

Kira stood in front of the hundreds of assembled guests and the billions of viewers watching at home on their television screens. He didn't sweat and he wasn't nervous. This was no time to sweat and no time to be nervous. This was a time to mourn a tragic passing, the like of which he never wished to be a part of ever again. He shuffled his speech notes quietly before gripping the edge of the podium and staring through the mass of microphones to address the people,

"My people, this week has been full of news of triumph and the final victory over the oppressive Garth Marco but I want the entire universe to know the cost of our victory! The price of triumph!" he shouted into the microphones. A switch was flicked and the casket slowly raised itself up so that it stood vertical, Meer's face the only visible part of her body. He coughed slightly as several of the guests wept loudly, "One of our own, a figure of enlightened kno-"

Shouts and screams from the rear of the room attracted everyone's attention, including Kira's. One of the double doors to the room suddenly swung inwards and two soldiers flew into the rearmost rows of seats. Kira gritted his teeth and his hand slipped into her jacket pocket and lightly rested upon his revolver. His eyes widened as Duo appeared in the open doorway. Duo shook his head,

"And who's funeral is this?!" one of the soldiers rushed to him but Duo put him down with a savage kick to the gut, "**Who gets a lavish funeral while the hero of our time is marked by a mere plaque?!**"

More of the soldiers came rushing down the gaps in between the rows of seated guests and Heero stepped into the doorway, throwing an unconscious soldier to the floor in disgust,

"You people sicken me!" he roared at the guests and media alike. Kira growled and gripped one of the microphones,

"Heero! Duo! Now is not the time for petty complaints!" he said, his voice amplified beyond the level of their shouts. Duo retorted but Heero wasn't listening anymore. He'd noticed whose face was staring at him from the casket. Without even caring that there were at least a dozen soldiers blocking his path he slowly, in a daze, made his way down the aisle, his hands out to his sides as if thanking some higher power instead of damning it with every fibre of his being. The shouts and threats of the room dulled to him and he suddenly couldn't hear anything anymore. What's more, the colour in his vision disappeared, leaving black and white as something caught in his throat. The soldiers rushed forwards to try and stop him but he saw them as if in slow motion. The first one to come near him got a knee to the gut as Heero gently sidestepped past him. The others tried to grab hold of him but he flitted under and over their grasping hands before breaking into a sprint as he broke free of their ranks. The colours of the world swam back into his vision as he reached the impressive casket. His tears doubled and he never even remembered starting to cry. He pulled at the casket lid and it tore away from the coffin with surprising ease. Meer's body fell out of the velvet lined box and Heero caught her in his arms. His tears splashed down onto her neck and face before he flung his head back and wailed deeply from his lungs. He rocked backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet before he heard the _click!_ Of a revolver being cocked. His head turned of its own accord to look at Kira, his hand visibly shaking as he aimed the handgun at Heero's head,

"Put Meer back in the casket Heero!" he commanded, his voice even shakier than his hand. Heero wailed again,

"There's no one else who can make me feel so alive! I searched the universe and found myself in her eyes!" he shouted, not to Kira in particular but to the universe as a whole. Kira shook his head, his teeth gritted,

"**Put her back in the casket Heero!**" he shouted at his friend. Heero lowered his head into Meer's neck and wept with utter abandonment for five seconds before his sobbing abruptly stopped. He raised his head, his face glistening wet with his tears as his now steely eyes came to rest on Kira,

"Who are you to dare tell me what do?" he asked, his voice low. Kira frowned,

"I am the commander of-"

"You are **NO ONE!**" shouted Heero, shocking the entire room into silence, "You can give yourself whatever titles you want Kira but at the end of the day you are a little boy who got lost one day. You are a pilot Kira, don't forget your place."

Heero rose to his feet, still holding Meer's body in his arms as he did so. He gave Kira a spiteful look before turning to walk away with his lover's body. Kira growled and fired a shot off at Heero's feet,

"Don't you walk away from me Heero Yuy!" he demanded. Heero ignored his warning shot and carried on walking down the aisle towards the door where Duo and Cagalli where waiting. Kira roared violent and emptied the revolver's chamber into Heero's back. The bullets ripped through Heero's flesh, bone and muscle before tearing into Meer's body, tearing it into a bloody mess. Heero dropped the defaced corpse. He slowly turned on his heel and simply pointed at Kira,

"I'll be the end of you Kira Yamato. No matter who you think you are, you will always be just a second rate pilot. Nothing more. And I'll be the one who stands over your lifeless body in victory. You will never be rid of me."

And there it ended. And there it began anew.


End file.
